Darkness Of My Past
by DarkElements10
Summary: "There are two ways to go about having a secret; confide in someone you trust or keep your mouth shut. Guess which option I chose." A past that was kept hidden is coming back full force. ABUSE/LANGUAGE/VIOLENCE/ACTION BTRxOC Friendship
1. New Beginning

**Darkness of My Past**

**By: Riley**

**Summary**** – "There are two ways to go about having a secret; confide in someone you trust or keep your mouth shut. Guess which option I chose." A past that was kept hidden is coming back full force. ABUSE/LANGUAGE/VIOLENCE/ACTION Kendall/OC Logan/OC  
><strong>

* * *

><p><strong>.:Chapter One – New Beginning:.<strong>

"Go, go, go, go, go, go, go, GOGOGOGO! YES!"

Katie Knight slapped her hands over her ears and leaned over the arm of the couch as her brother and his friends started to jump up and down, screaming at the top of their lungs. They were watching a Minnesota Wild hockey game and apparently they had scored a goal. Well, Katie wasn't even entirely sure about that, they screamed and cheered, and shouted so much she wasn't even sure if they were even watching the game or was trying to beat each other in a contest to see who could be louder.

All she knew was that when it look like they were about to scream, she had to slap her hands over her eras and get out of the way of their flying appendages. She had already received a blow to her forehead and she wasn't about to make that mistake again.

She watched as Kendall, her big brother, sat back down on the couch, his hands clasped together, his elbows resting on his knees, and his jaw clenched as he stared hard at the TV. His knees were shaking, an obvious reaction to the close score and the last minute ticking by. She hoped that the Minnesota Wild would win, because if they didn't, he would be in a bad mood for the rest of the day. He was so invested in hockey, he stupidly made it that his mood for the day was a direct reflection of how well the Minnesota Wild played. And if it wasn't there game for the Wild, there was a game for the Maple Leafs that caused his mood swings.

She looked over at his best friends and her 'brothers' James Diamond, Carlos Garcia, and Logan Mitchell. The three of them were watching the game just as intently as Kendall, but with different degrees of fascination. Katie could easily say that none of them were as invested to the team as Kendall was, but they were still HUGE hockey fans. Logan was watching the game as well as scribbling in a notebook, probably writing down their stats so he could come up with the probability of their win.

_Or something as stupid and mathematical as that, _Katie thought to herself, rolling her eyes as she crossed he arms over her chest, settling back into the couch. _Half of the time I'm sure he doesn't even breathe without counting how many times he does it in a minute for some sort of stupid science experiment._

Katie's eyes shifted over to James. Katie and everyone else in the world knew that James Diamond cared about his looks and only his looks. It wasn't his fault though, most of that was brought onto him because of his mother, Brooke Diamond, who had her own line of cosmetics, and if it wasn't for the guys convincing her to let him stay in LA with them to continue as the band Big Time Rush, then he wouldn't be there at that point. Sure, he could be vain, but he loved hockey and all other contact sports almost as much as the next guy. When he had a helmet on, or when he was sure that there was no way his face could be touched, he was just as ruthless as any football player.

_But you can't not expect him to freak as soon as a __single__ strand of his hair is out of place. _Katie tried not to laugh at the thought. _Then you've got to get ready to have a beat down._

Last but now least, she looked at Carlos and she nearly lost it there. He had one eye on the TV and the other on Katie's mother, Kacy Knight*, who was bustling around the kitchen, finishing up dinner. When it came to his two loves, hockey and food, Carlos Garcia was not going to choose between the two of them. If he wasn't singing or dancing for Big Time Rush, he was either playing lobby hockey or eating corn dogs. He was easily the most energetic, and that was seen as he was bouncing up and down on the floor, sniffing occasionally and giving sighs of contentment as he got a good whiff of the spaghetti and meatballs that Kacy, or Mama Knight as everyone affectionately called her, was preparing.

"30 seconds left… Cullen makes a breakaway…he gets past the defense…brings back his stick and-"

Suddenly the door leading to the swirly slide was kicked open with enough force that it hit the wall behind it, accidentally puncturing the wall. Mrs. Knight let out a loud scream, dropping a set of forks onto the counter, which in turn caused Katie to scream and jump, at the same time that the four teenage boys leapt to their feet and started to jump up and down, screaming at the top of their lungs and exchanging high-fives.

"Hey," an accented voice stated calmly from above them.

"HEY," Carlos said as Katie turned and looked up towards the swirly slide and spotting her friends, the raven-haired and blue eyed Jackson-McGuires.

Katie gave a wave as Carlos started to wave both of his arms above his head in excitement. She couldn't help but laugh when she saw the odd looks on her fiends' faces as they looked down at the four boys that were screaming like banshees. "GUESS WHAT? WE WON!"

"Really?" Patrick gave a lopsided smile. "I would have thought that you had just seen a spider or something." He turned and flung himself down the swirly slide, landing on his stomach on the floor. "Oof!"

"Watch out!" Sydney, the youngest, cried as he and Noah then slid down after them, Rhuben quickly following behind, the three of them crashing down on top of Patrick. Katie laughed at Patrick's grunt of pain, his face turning a little bit red. She laughed even harder as he started to kick his legs frantically, trying to get free. "Oh look, we squished him, eh, good riddance." He giggled as he got off of Patrick's back and ran over to Katie. "Hey Katie!" He greeted with a bright smile and threw his arms around her in a tight hug.

"Hey Sydney," Katie gave him a hug back. "You seem to be in a good mood today." She remarked and then rolled her eyes as Sydney went over to the other boys …who were still cheering. _Then again, when is he not_ _smiling?_

"Hi Mama Knight," Sydney added as he strolled over to help Katie's mother. The 10 year old boy smiled impishly up at her, noticing that she had a hand over her chest. "Sorry for scaring you, do you need help?"

"It's no problem Sydney," Mrs. Knight replied, taking a few deep breaths. "Don't worry, I needed a jumpstart to my heart today," she gave a chuckle before grabbing a handful of spoons and turning to him. "And yes, I could use some help setting the table, thanks for the offer."

Sydney beamed as he turned and started to walk around the table, putting out the spoons.

"Pie coming down," Riley called, brushing her red strand of hair from her face and knelt down towards the opening of the swirly slide and gently placed a warm pie that was covered in saran wrap on the edge of the slide and gently pushed it down. She stood up and leaned over the railing of the swirly slide and watched as Rhuben caught it before sliding down the slide herself. "Ow!" She cried as he butt hit the floor. "Man, you _really_ need to put some pillows down here."

Katie moved close to Rhuben and glanced at the pie that she held in her hands, smelling the air lightly and smiling when she recognized it as Apple Pie. Her favorite desert, that totally made her day even better. She reached out to help Riley to her feet, but Logan beat her to it.

"Well if we knew you were coming, we would have, Landy." Logan replied, using his special nickname for her as he rounded the couch and pulled her to her feet with a sharp tug on her hands. She then took the pie from Rhuben's hands and walked over to the kitchen and placed it on the empty spot on the counter. "Where's Ronan?"

"Right here," Katie turned with the others as Ronan McGuire announced his arrival from the front door, where he was leaning against the doorframe, loosening his tie. "What?" He raised an eyebrow, giving Logan and odd look. "Did you think that I would fit down that slide?" His eyes then slid over to Kendall, James, and Carlos, who were flailing around in front of the TV as the audience at the hockey game went nuts. "What are they doing?"

"Their happy dance," Logan replied as he turned and looked over his shoulder and watched his friends act like idiots.

"The Wild just won their game." Katie explained, rolling her eyes.

"Oh."

"Have you guys always been this drongo or am I just noticing it?" Rhuben asked as she raised an eyebrow, watching the three of them dance oddly. She looked over at Noah, who just smiled and shook his head.

"I don't know what you just said, but they've always been like that." Katie replied with a laugh of her own. She grinned at her five friends. All five of them held different measures of amusement in thier faces, but she could tell that they were each thinking that the guys were acting like doofuses.

Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney Jackson-McGuire were some of the first people that Big Time Rush had met when they first arrived in LA to start Big Time Rush, a little over a year ago. Their father, Robert Jackson, had been their manager at the time and Ronan their music producer for their family band the DarkElements. Australian natives, the five of them had gone to LA shortly before Big Time Rush were created to break the American market after they had MASSIVE amounts of success in their home country for the past 8 years, having started heir band at such a young age. The first year, BTR realized that they were acting different and found out they were being abused. They helped send Robert to jail and then Ronan started their adoption process and three and a half months ago Ronan officially adopted them and their oldest brother Julius officially, so he stepped ups his role to be their father, manager, and music producer.

After BTR had met the DarkElements, they had quickly been taken under their wing to try and have a lot of success in the music industry and so far they had been doing a good job as they had released their first CD, BTR, and it had gone gold and they were currently working on their second one. The DarkElements consisted of 17 year old twins Riley and Rhuben, 15 year old twins Patrick and Noah, and 10 year old Sydney. Ronan had been in the music industry for years and when the DarkElements started to help BTR with their music, he started to collaborate with BTR's music producer Gustavo Rocque and his assistant Kelly Wainright, whom he had known for years as well, then they brought in Mrs. Knight, the guys' momager and all of them became one big group of friends/co-workers.

Katie looked over at Riley and Rhuben, similar yet different in their own style. To help others tell them apart, Riley had a lock of her mid back-length black hair dyed red, an up in a simple ponytail while Rhuben had a lock of her hair dyed purple and in a ponytail, two pieces framing her face. The two of them were Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James' age, but they easily became her friend after they bonded over their mutual thought of the guys constantly acting stupid. Riley was the 'leader' of her family and thier band, always deciding what they were going to do and could sometimes be mean, but she had a good heart and cared about her friends. Rhuben, on the oher hand, was Riley's 'right-hand-man' and would give her two cents in on the plan. Usually you wouldn't know what she was thinking, but she had a way of looking at you that could make you feel like the lowest creature on the planet. But like her sister, she was caring about her friends.

Katie then moved her eyes over to Patrick and Noah and she had to will herself not to blush. The two of them were her absolute best friends and while they were twins like Riley and Rhuben, they were no more opposite than anyone else she knew. While Patrick was loud and outgoing, Noah was quiet and somewhat shy. But Katie was one of the first people that didn't make fun of the two of them for the same reasons that other did, Noah for being so quiet and seemingly unwilling to defend himself, and Patrick for being kind of slow at times. She enjoyed having the two of them around and honestly wouldn't know what she would do for fun without them, because they were always willing to her her 'get rich quick schemes'.

She looked over at Sydney and chuckled, when she noticed that he was secretly videotaping Kendall, Carlos, and James. Although he was 10 years old, he was smarter than her, Logan, and anyone else she knew. She didn't believe Patrick at first when he said that Sydney was a genius, but she now knew it was true, especially after he had completely upgraded her laptop's RAM, memory, and speed all in the span of an hour. Although he was the youngest of his siblings he was always listened to and abused the fact that he was cute. He was always smiling and seemed genuinely happy about almost everything.

Finally, she looked over at Ronan, who was talking with her mom. Katie had to admit, he was very good looking, and she was surprised to learn that he was only 35, when he didn't look that old, resembling someone in their twenties. He was a music producer like Gustavo, but unlike Gustavo he was laid back and so successful he owned his own record company and was the boss of the whole company, but stuck with producing music for his kids. He hardly got mad, and seemed to know what his kids were doing before they did it, and only kept sane by asking that unless someone was hurt they didn't tell him about it. He was probably the only adult that she thought was pretty cool.

"So I'm guessing that because they won we can be sure that Hockey-Head is going to be in a good mood," Riley stated as she placed her hands on her hips and smirked over at the leader of Big Time Rush.

"Haha," Kendall replied as he stopped dancing. "Not even your very annoying nickname can bring down my mood today."

Riley raised a hand and gestured towards the TV where the Minnesota Wild players were taking a victory lap around the ice rink. "If the nickname fits."

Kaite couldn't help but smile at their exchange. _It's not like he doesn't deserve it, he eats, sleeps, and breathes hockey._

"You're late," James stated as he finally turned away from the TV and looked at his watch. "Normally you guys are here right at 6:30." For a while the Jacksons had managed to have dinner with the guys and Katie every Friday, so they decided to make a tradition about it.

"We had some extra work to do at the studio today," Noah explained in his quiet voice, flicking his head to the side so his hair moved from his face. "Some of our stuff was erased and we had to re-record it." He looked amused. "Plus there were a lot of Taylor Swift fans running around because there was a rumor that she was there."

Katie laughed and then pointed over to Carlos, while holding her free hand beside her mouth, pretending to whisper. "If she was there, you should have gotten her autograph for Carlos, he would have flipped."

"You're actually admitting that you, a guy, like Taylor Swift?" Sydney asked as he paused in his setting the table, giving Carlos and odd look.

Carlos nodded defensively. Something about the way that Sydney had asked the question, and the way that he was looking at him, caused him to suddenly feel defensive. But he couldn't help but continue to smile anyway; nothing really ever got Carlos Garcia down for more than a few seconds or minutes. "Yep!" He stated with a proud nod and then grinned even wider. "But wait till I tell you guys how much I like High School Musical!"

"Trust me, you don't want to hear this," Logan said, totally deadpan, and turned back to the TV that had caught his attention. _Something about being a little more careful…?_ Logan's eyebrows furrowed together as he grabbed the remote and turned up the volume a little bit, keeping his eyes glued to the TV.

Katie turned, noticing the volume had risen and watched as well, moderately interested.

"_In local news, a suburban man named Lucas McMahon was found shot dead outside of his house this morning. Apparently he was on his way to work, and had just stepped outside of the door when he was shot. His wife, Macy, had heard the gunshot and ran to see what happened, finding her husband on the front porch, shot in the chest. There were no witnesses and so far there are no suspects to the crime. Luca McMahon was pronounced dead on his arrival at the hospital."_

"Logan, turn that off and come sit for dinner," Mrs. Knight called as she set the table, ceramic plates clanging together as she gathered them from the cabinets. She handed them to Ronan who walked around and placed them on the table as the others quickly rushed to grab their places.

"Coming," Logan said slowly, watching as the picture of the murdered man came up on screen. He was somewhat young, probably in his thirties. He had a wife, maybe he had kids. And now her husband, their father was gone. Just like that.

"Logan?" Katie called again as he continued to look at the TV. She walked up behind him and lightly rapped him on the head with her knuckles. "Come on, it's Spaghetti, remember?"

Logan shut off the TV and placed the remote on the table in front of him. He got up from the couch and turned to go join his friends at the dinner table, but stopped when he noticed Patrick looking at the TV, a thoughtful expression on his face.

"Something wrong, dude?" Logan asked, giving him a friendly squeeze on the shoulder.

"No, not at all."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: First chapter was kind of slow, but it's a recap of my characters to those who don't know them, but a refresher to those who do. I don't own BTR, only my OCs Ronan McGuire, Julius, Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney Jackson-McGuire, and Brittany McNabb. (Not all of them appeared in this chapter, but I wanted to name all of my OCs) There are some other ones appearing as well.**

**Yep, finally, a new BTRxDE story, since I haven't written about them for a while, I started to miss it. For those of you who don't like BTRxOC fics, please check out my strictly BTR only stories called **_**Fairy Tale Nightmare **_**and **_**Ready To Roll**_** I know you'll love them.**

**Alright, so this idea I have had for a loooooooooong time and had been contemplating putting in my 'With Friends Like These' series, but eventually ended up not doing that, because I didn't want to make it seem like EVERYTHING bad happened to my characters at one time, so I decided to make a separate story of it. While the plot/drama **_**does**_** focus on my OCs, I'm going to try really hard NOT to make the first few chapters focus on them, because I want you guys to guess what the deal is with them.**

**Do you have any guesses yet? And if you're confused, each chapter is a song title, and they may/may not have something to do with what's going to happen later in the story…**

**So with that, I hope you guys liked this chapter, although it's kind of short, and I'll update again soon.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	2. Going Through The Motions

**.:Chapter Two –Going Through The Motions:.**

* * *

><p>"Guys, you're late!" Kelly Wainright stated as soon as she caught sight of the guys walking down the poster lined hallways towards Gustavo's Rocque's office. "You were supposed to be here at 12:00 and it's…" she looked at her watch, her dark shoulders slumping as she relaxed. "12:01." She lifted her head and flashed her pearly whites. "Sorry about that."<p>

"What's the matter Kelly?" Logan asked as he raised an eyebrow.

He had never seen Gustavo's assistant so stressed out before, not even when they were very close t not having their first concert because (one of) Gustavo's rivals, Hawk, had tried to steal the guys away. But now, here she was, nearly biting her nails as if they were coated in sugar and looking at her watch as if she had a facial tick. And if that were the case, he wouldn't have been surprised, as Logan and his friends had caused Kelly nothing but stress ever since they moved to Los Angeles.

"What's the matter?" She replied, blinking slowly. "What's the matter?" Her pleasant features then morphed into one of someone who had just woken up and hadn't had their coffee yet. She gritted her teeth and tightened the grip on her PalmPilot, enough so that the boys could hear tiny cracking sounds emitting from the poor electronic device.

"Incoming!" Carlos cried and jammed his helmet onto his head before slamming his hands over his hears. Beside him, Kendall and James moved closer to Carlos, squeezing their eyes shut as they waited for the outburst.

Logan, on the other hand, let out a squeak as Kelly tossed her PalmPilot to the floor and lunged forward, grabbing onto his shoulders tightly. He let out another squeak as she started to dig her fingernails into him, while putting her face close to his. Normally if a woman Kelly's age, probably about 27 if he had to guess, got that close to Logan's face he would be turned on. But now that she looked like she was going to murder him, he was definitely _not_ enjoying it. The look on her face, the look of pure rage and stress, and Logan knew that he never wanted to bug her ever again.

_Huh, I guess this is what staring death is the face is all about_ Logan randomly thought to himself as his knees started to shake.

"What's the matter?" Her voice was deathly quiet. "You have a concert in 7 hours." She reminded him, slowly moving her hands up to his neck. "You have to work on your vocals, finalize rehearsing, get down to the staples center to do a sound check, do a meet and greet with the fans that have paid for VIP, make sure your clothes have arrived safely _and_ fit right from last week, make sure you know the blocking for the pyrotechnics, make sure the headmics you're using for the first time works, eat dinner, and find some time to take a nap throughout that whole schedule." She was full on starting to choke Logan. "Now do you want to ask me, what's the matter?"

"Help, please!" Logan managed to cry as he tried to pull Kelly's hands off of his neck.

"Kelly, Kelly, let go," James hurried over to the stressed out woman and grabbed her around the waist, eventually holding upright as he pulled her. Kendall and Carlos were holding onto Logan, pulling him in the opposite direction. "Kelly, release!"

_I'm going to die! _Logan's thoughts raced as he pulled on Kelly's hands. _I thought that all of the stupid stunts that Carlos had put me through, I never thought that it would be Kelly that kills me._

The guys' shouting mixed in with Kelly's growling got so loud that it easily drowned out the loud humming of the refrigerator in the break room only a few doors down.

"Uh, what are you doing?"

Kelly looked up and suddenly let go of Logan's neck, causing James to go flying back one way and Kendall, Logan, and Carlos flying back in the opposite direction. The five of them hit the ground hard, groaning in pain.

_I know I always thought that I needed new friends…but now I think I need a new co-worker. _Logan thought as he sucked n large mouthfuls of air, the edges of his vision already turning back to its normal color. _Either that or I'll just quit the band and become a doctor, whichever comes first. _Logan rolled onto his stomach and pushed himself up into a sitting position and looked at the Jacksons and Ronan, as they looked back at him and his friends with an odd expression. _Jackson-McGuires _he quickly reminded himself. _I have to remember that. _"Hey guys," he greeted with a wave. "What's up?"

"I could ask you guys the same thing," Ronan stated as he tilted his head to the side, watching as Kelly, James, Kendall, and Carlos jumped to their feet, brushing off their clothes. "Because just a second ago, for you guys, it was the ceiling." Behind him, Sydney rolled his eyes at Ronan's attempt at a lame joke.

Logan smiled over at him and opened his mouth to reply, but Kelly beat him to it.

"Oh I was just making sure that the guys knew everything that they have to do today to get ready for their show tonight," Kelly stated and then grimaced again. "You know?" She prompted. "The one that's in 7 hours?"

"Yeah, I think we're _all_ aware that it's in 7 hours," Ronan replied, nodding slowly.

"Especially since it's the guys' first headlining tour." Riley added, sliding her hands into the back pockets of her black jeans.

"Why'd you have to say it like that?" Kendall asked, looking slightly annoyed, flicking his fringe from his face. Riley just looked at him and raised an eyebrow.

"Uh, because it's true," She pulled a clump of mascara from her eyelashes. "It's nothing to be ashamed of," her lips curled into a devilish smirk. "Everyone has to start somewhere."

"Riley," Ronan turned his green eyes to her and looked at her hard. "Cool it." Riley fell silent.

Logan twisted his mouth to the side as he watched the exchange. They had only been adopted about three months ago, but it was obvious that she showed a lot more respect towards Ronan than she did her former father, Robert Jackson. He remembered when Robert was around, Riley and her brothers and sister would dig and dig at him, not listening to anything that he had to say, but would do whatever Ronan asked the first time. At the time, Logan hadn't thought anything of it, he just thought that they weren't really that close to him because they were adopted and didn't really bond with him, but it wasn't until almost a year later that he and his friends found out the truth. They were being abused, and to give them credit, they hid it very well. Even Logan felt stupid when he finally found out the truth, especially since he should have figured it out very quickly.

"Anyway," Ronan turned to Kelly and gave an easy-going smile. "That's why we're here, Gustavo called us in to help you guys earlier than planned, so we pushed back the video conference call that we had set up with Blazing Phoenix back in Sydney to come in."

"Oh," Logan licked his lips, suddenly feeling uncomfortable. "You didn't have to do that, we know that you guys have your own stuff to work on." He didn't know why, but he never liked the idea of them giving up their own time to work on their music to help them. They did it out of their own time and on their own free will and he hated that Gustavo, Kelly, and Big Time Rush never seemed to give them anything in return. _Not that they really seem to care._

"It's no problem at all," Patrick stated as he raised his hands, palms out. He flashed a lop-sided smile. "We were going to have to come in and help you guys anyway," he then raised a finger. "Don't forget that this is your guys' 'dress rehearsal'," beside him Noah did finger quotes around the words. "For your headlining tour while we're, just the lonely opening act."

"Not _lonely_," Carlos stated and moved over to the younger boy, throwing an arm around his shoulders and putting him in a headlock. "We'll be there too."

"Yeah, still not sure if that's a good thing," Rhuben commented, pulling her long hair from her ponytail and retying it. Ronan shot her a look and she just shrugged.

Logan made a face and turned, only to notice Kelly, Kendall, James, and Carlos each shot him a look. Despite feeling slightly confused at hers and Riley's attitude towards him, he was also annoyed. He had known Riley and Rhuben since they were 8, back in Texas, and they were best friends, but that didn't mean that he knew absolutely everything that was going on with them. It bugged him how just because he was their best friend…the others thought that he would know exactly what was going on with them at every second of every day.

Patrick made a whimpering sound as he pushed against Carlos' side and Kelly noticed it quickly. "Carlos, let go!" She stated, her tense cry causing him to release the younger boy quickly.

"Sorry," Carlos frowned, his brown eyes suddenly losing their excited shine. "I forgot."

"No worries," Patrick mustered up a smile, but it was significantly less chipper than it had just been.

There was a short silence and Ronan cleared his throat, loosening his tie as he did so. That was something that Logan really admired about Ronan McGuire, even though he was 35, he still had an air of a younger man; being very laid back and choosing to dress in a dressy shirt, tie, and jeans. Plus, unlike Gustavo, he didn't yell and scream at the DarkElements and that was something that he was somewhat jealous about. But over the past year, at least since he had met him, Gustavo had actually toned down his yelling and being rude to him and his friends, and things were getting better.

"Where _is_ Gustavo anyway?" James spoke up, he looked somewhat offended. "I cut out my blow drying and styling time just to get here and now he's not even here to freak out about us being here on _time_ for once!" He made a loud huffing sound, causing the Jackson-_McGuires_ to laugh a little.

"Well, if Gustavo isn't here yet, I'm sure it's for a good-"

"SORRY I'M LATE DOGS!" Gustavo Rocque came storming down the hall, if it was possible, looking even angrier than he ever had before. "There was A LOT of traffic on the way here today! There was some car accident or something, but WHO CARES? We got a lot of work to do and we need to get started RIGHT NOW!" He turned and saw Ronan and the Jacksons standing next to him. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?"

They all jumped and Ronan looked at Gustavo as he slowly reached a hand up and wiggled it in his ear. "Nice to see you, too, Gustavo." He stated sarcastically and then looked perturbed. "You asked for us to come in early today…remember?"

"I don't remember that." Gustavo stated, shaking his head once.

"How can you not remember?" Sydney suddenly spoke up; placing his hands on his hips and tilting his head back all the way so he was looking at up him. He paused and took two large steps back. "In the middle of the night, you called and started screaming through the phone," he looked over at Big Time Rush. "And I mean, _through the phone_ saying that you needed us over here early." He then puckered his bottom lip, his eyes welling up in tears. "And out of the bottom of our hearts we come here and try to help you guys. And now you're acting like you don't even-"

"Cut the theatrics Syd," Noah grabbed the back of his little brother's shirt and pulled him backwards away from Gustavo. "I don't think he's buying it."

Sydney's tears immediately stopped and he wiped them off of his face with the sides of his arms. "It was worth a try," he shrugged.

"We only have seven hours to get ready for this concert," Gustavo declared loudly, getting right to the point. "And in that seven hours we have a _lot_ that we need to get done! " He turned and pointed at Riley. "So what I need first is I need to make sure that their clothes still fit and that they get to the venue in time!"

Because the DarkElements were helping Big Time Rush with their music as well as working on their own, Gustavo had somewhat 'hired' them to do different jobs for BTR; Riley got their wardrobe together, Rhuben worked on their choreography, Patrick and Noah worked on their harmonies, and Sydney helped Gustavo with the music producing.

"You think I would let anyone near those clothes?" She snorted. "Fat chance, especially since these morons ruined them last time!" She added with a glare over to Big Time Rush.

They couldn't help but smile. Of course they had been playing lobby hockey when they were supposed to be on their way to Rocque Records. And when they realized how late they were, of course they freaked out and tried to get there as fast as they could. So when they came charging into Rocque Records at high speed on their skates, they just so happened to crash into Riley, who had been wheeling a cart filled with their clothes to the dance studio for a dress rehearsal, and knocked her over; ruining all of the clothes she had specifically chosen for each of them.

She had been mad at them for weeks; not that it made any difference, she could get mad at just about anything.

"And I need you," he pointed to Rhuben. "To go over the setlist with these guys, since you don't need to go over their dancing until we get to the Staples Center."

"Got it," Rhuben agreed.

"And you three…" the turned to Patrick, Noah, and Sydney and opened his mouth to say something but was cut off by the sound of his office phone ringing off the hook as well as Kelly's PalmPilot starting to ring incessantly. "DO WHATEVER, I HAVE TOO MUCH STUFF TO DO!"

"Gustavo, hold up a second," Rhuben grabbed his attention. She pulled the pieces of hair that was framing her face out of her eyes, behind her ears. "You said there was a lot of traffic on the way here…what happened? Did it say on the news?"

"What?" Gustavo snapped. "I don't know, someone in a car accident or something, who cares?" He then looked at Kelly and Ronan. "Come on!" He barked and stormed over to his office.

Rhuben frowned and exchanged glances with her siblings. _I wonder what that was about._ Logan wondered, slowly drifting off. _I mean, it's not like people can't just look at each other…well, I guess they can…but that'd be kind of weird…_

"Hello?" Logan blinked and jerked back when he saw that Patrick was leaning close to his face, looking at him oddly. "What? Did your brain spring a leak or something?"

"No," Logan gave a smile. "Just zoned out a little bit."

"Hm, can I guess?" the corners of Riley's lips twitched. "You were trying to decide whether or not you have time to finish next week's homework before you go to the Staples Center." She said. "But as usually, you were indecisive."

"Ouch Landy," Logan replied shortly, not taking any offense. "Any faster and I would think that you actually meant that."

"Is something wrong?" Kendall asked, tilting his head to the side, his eyes darting back and forth between the Jacksons. His eyes rested on Riley and he mainly asked her the question.

"Do you _think_ something's wrong, Eyebrows?" Riley replied, raising an eyebrow. Kendall raised one in reply, mentally wondering whether or not it was worth it to even answer her question. After a few minutes of thinking, he pursed his lips and then shook his head, admitting defeat. "That's what I thought," Riley stated and then sighed heavily. "And now I've got a date with some clothes." With that, she spun on her heel and headed towards the wardrobe closet, pulling her phone from her pocket as she went.

"Guys. Set list. _Now_." Rhuben ordered as she started to shove their way into an empty office. She grabbed a sheet of paper and a pen and slapped it down on the desk.

"But that's so boring," Carlos stated.

"And the sooner you make out a set list, the sooner you can be unbored," Rhuben pointed out.

James walked over and placed a hand on her shoulder, giving her a charming smile. "Beautiful, I wish you would relax. You're giving me a headache just by looking at you."

"Oh how could she be so thoughtless?" Noah commented, causing the older teen boys to strain to hear him. "She's just having a mental breakdown over here, but your measly little headache is _obviously _more important in the grand scheme of things."

"I'm so glad you agree," came James' reply. He laughed as Rhuben lightly hit him on the arm.

"Guys—what about that set list?" Logan asked as he took the sheet of paper and tapped a pen against it, the sound of the plastic hitting the wood underneath making a light tapping sound.

"What the fuck about it?" Kendall asked, the gravity of the situation suddenly starting to get to him. Normally he didn't get really nervous about shows, but it was staring to hit him. _Headlining tour_, that meant that they were getting really big.

"Don't you think we should at least attempt to make one out?" Logan asked. _Wait a minute, we already have a set list, why are we making another one?_ He voiced his thoughts to the Jacksons. Sydney decided to answer.

"This is just in case you want to change around the ones you have already chosen," he explained. "You have to think of how the pyros are going to go off and if you want to give yourself breaks with the slower songs in between since this is a longer set."

"Oh," Logan nodded once. "So, guys, don't you tihnk we should at least attempt to make one out?" He repeated his earlier question.

"Why would we want to do that?" Carlos snorted.

"Oh gee, I don't know," Logan returned, shooting Carlos an annoyed look. "Possibly because we're about to play the biggest crowd we've ever played for?" He shrugged. "Just a random thought, though."

"No need to get sarcastic, Logie," Patrick stated, finally smiling again. "We get that you're nervous." Rhuben, Noah, and Sydney nodded in agreement. "Especially since this is your first headlining tour across the US, and there'll be probably 20,000 more fans here than you ever had, so if you mess up that wouldn't be good. Then there's the fact that you have to go 2 and a half hours straight through singing and dancing, instead of the usual 1 hour or so that you usually have. Then there's the possible DVDs-"

"You're not helping Pat," Noah stated, slapping a hand over his twin brother's mouth.

"Don't forget that we're opening for you guys, each step of the way," Sydney added. "So we'll be there to help you out when you need it."

"Thanks," Logan said with a genuine sigh of relief. "You don't know how much that means to us."

* * *

><p>"Hi, what's your name?" Logan greeted the teenage red-head in front of him. He took a good look at her and beamed when he saw her homemade Big Time Rush t-shirt. "Hey, I like your shirt! How long did it take for you to make that?"<p>

"Oh," the girl blushed and looked down at her shirt, stretching it out to look at it, as if she didn't know what her shirt looked like. "It only took a couple of hours," She reached up and pulled her hair behind her ears. "And it was really fun to do." She looked up at Logan and he gave an encouraging smile, causing her to blush even harder. "Oh, I forgot, my name is Angie!"

"Angie," Logan repeated. "That's a nice name," he bent over and started to scribble his name on the CD in front of him. He kicked James in the leg as he started to snicker.

Logan couldn't blame him though. That was probably the fifteenth time that he had said that in the past hour, but it was hard. How many different things could you say to make each and every one of your fans feel really special? There was only so many times you can say 'glad you're a fan', 'I like your shirt', 'Cute name', 'What's your favorite song off the album?' and 'Thank You' before you went completely nuts.

"Thank you," The girl giggled a little bit. "You know, you're my favorite of the band,"

Logan smiled as James let out a humph and whipped his compact mirror out of his pocket and started to study his face, pulling his hair this way and that. Even Kendall and Carlos, who were on the other side of James, laughed at the girl's comment.

"I am?" Logan made sure that he was over the top about it, just to annoy James even further. "That is _so_ awesome! Thank you _so_ much!"

"You're welcome," Angie beamed in reply, her eyes lighting up at the comment. Logan felt a little bad, he hated it whenever fans got overly excited, thinking that he was giving them extra attention, when he was just trying to be nice to them all. In some ways, it was a lose-lose situation for them all. "Um," she suddenly looked very shy, looking at her feet. "Can I have…a…um, a kiss?"

"Oh," Logan took the time to blush. "We're not allowed to do that, but I can give you a hug." He stood up and opened his arms, allowing Angie to lean over the table and give him a hug. He beamed when she pulled away. "How was that?"

"Great," Angie replied. "Thanks so much."

"Hey Logie!" James grabbed the back of Logan's shirt and pulled him down onto the seat. "There are some other people in line and we have to get finished soon!"

Logan smiled impishly towards James before turning to Angie and giving her a wave and turning to the next person in line. He blinked in shock for a moment when a teenage boy lightly tossed a BTR CD onto the table. He didn't mean to be surprised, but they didn't have a lot of male fans and because he and his friends had been called gay numerous times, not many male rushers actually did admit that they were fans.

"Hey dude," Logan greeted the brown haired, light green eyed boy. "How's it going?"

"Not bad," the guy replied, shoving his hands into his leather jacket pockets. He shifted his feet and looked around the arena. "How's it going with you?"

Logan noticed he had a slight accent. "Just getting ready for the show, you know, meeting fans," He stated and then scribbled his name on the CD. "What's your name?"

"Austen," He replied after a moment. "The name's Austen." He cleared his throat. "So, I have a random question, do you guys have bodyguards or anything?" Logan must have given an odd look because he continued swiftly. "I mean, for those weird fans that you may have around." He gave a wry smile. "I'm sure you have them at every show."

"You don't know the half of it," Kendall remarked as he finished with Angie and sent her off with a smile. "There was this one girl that stowed away in one of our vans once," he gave a laugh. "That was a crazy experience." He leaned forward and looked over at James. "Especially when she wouldn't let you go."

"Yeah, I've never seen him get so upset over his hair before," Carlos added.

James pulled his compact out again, and looked at his hair. "That was a scary time, my friends; I won't let it happen again."

"No, we don't really have bodyguards," Logan answered the question. "We haven't had that many crazy fans come along, sure there's security at our shows, but with Gustavo around, most people are too scared to come near us." He pushed the CD over to James.

"Yeah," Austen spoke up. "But he can't be around all the time." He remarked, his eyes shifting over the four friends.

"Yeah," Carlos replied, seemingly oblivious to the uneasiness that Logan, Kendall, and James were starting to project. "Because he's usually around trying to get some food to eat."

"A guy that big, that's not surprising," Austen took his CD from Kendall when the blonde finished with it. "Have a good show guys." He gave a nod and walked away from the table.

* * *

><p>"Great show, boys."<p>

"Amazing job tonight."

"Go get some rest, you deserve it."

Logan nodded and gave short waves of thanks to the Staples Center workers as he, James, Kendall, and Carlos made their way to the back of the Staples Center to get into their van and drive back to the Palm Woods. The next day they were going over to San Diego and their concert tour around the US was officially going to start. But they still had a lot of packing to do as well as work to get from Miss. Collins before they went. Plus, they had to say goodbye to their friends, he knew that Camille would never forgive him if he left without saying goodbye. But he had pointed her and the other 'future famous' out during the show and he hoped they really enjoyed it.

"I just want to get back to the PalmWoods so I can lie down and sleep for a year," Kendall groaned as he stretched, yawning loudly.

"Don't worry about that," James stated, clapping him on the shoulder. "Even if you slept for a decade, you wouldn't be as good looking as me."

Kendall smirked and shoved James on the arm hard enough to send him into the wall of the halfway. Kendall and Carlos burst out into loud laughter and Logan just laughed quietly, too tired to even feel like he was walking straight. He jumped when all of a sudden he heard loud screaming and straightened up, waving to the crowd of fans that had gathered around with signs, screaming towards the four guys. They all waved back to the crowd, trying not to be blinded by the flashing lights of the cameras as they got into the van that had brought them to the venue in the first place.

As soon as they had pulled away from the Staples Center, Kendall, James, and Carlos were knocked out. Unfortunately, there was still a little bit of adrenaline coursing through his veins and he couldn't sleep yet, so he just opted to look out the window. Although exhausted, he was proud. They had just played a packed arena of 50,000 fans that were all there for him and his friends. If he had known that he would be this successful a year ago, he wouldn't have even thought about becoming a doctor. Either that or he would have laughed long and hard at the person that told him he would be selling out the Staples Center.

Logan looked up at the power lines that whizzed by, his eyelids drooping.

As they pulled up to a red light, Logan leaned out the window, painfully pressing his nose up against it as he tilted his head, trying to see what had caught his eye.

In the streetlight he looked up at a power line; there were nine crows sitting there, but what caught his attention was that when they were flying to land on the power line, one of the smaller birds was having trouble; its right wing seemed injured.

The limo pulled started forward as the light turned green and Logan turned away from the window, closing his eyes and going to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Just so you know, each chapter is from a different person's point of view. I hope you guys remember that this is only a few months after Ronan adopted the Jacksons, so they're still kind of stand-offish and not very outgoing yet (that's a key point to the story). Oh and as this story is going on, I'm going back and editing chapters, so after your thoughts last chapter, I've edited it some, so you can go back and look at that again.**

**So keep your eyes peeled as this story goes on, in every chapter until it's revealed, there's going to be hints as to what is really going on.**

**I'm not sure if Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, and WayneWayne are going to be in this story, if they are, they'll either be secondary characters, or just come in and out every now and then. What do you guys think? Should they be in it, because the story can work both ways; with them in it and without them in it, so your thoughts are welcome.**

**Oh, by the way, after re-reading my first BTR series 'WFTL I, II, and III' I was thinking of re-writing them, because there was a lot of things that didn't make sense; such as the timeline, some things I brought up but never completely went into detail with, and some things that just made no sense. When I started that series I was trying to write it in a way that was like the show, rather than writing it in the way I really wanted to. So I'm thinking of re-writing it (maybe make it one long story, or keep it split into three like I already have) and re-posting them, but leaving up the original so you guys can see the differences. What do you think?**

**I'll update again soon.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	3. Understatement

**.:Chapter Three - Understatement:.**

* * *

><p>"So what exactly are you supposed to pack when it comes to going on tour?" Katie asked Kendall, an expression of total confusion on her face as she walked from her room over to the TV area.<p>

Kendall very slowly looked away from the hockey game that was on TV and looked at his sister, blinking for a second before realizing what she had asked. "Basically what you would pack if we were going back to Minnesota, minus the thousands of long-sleeved shirts," He raised his eyebrows. "It's the fall. Plus, you're not going to many places." He reminded her and then turned back to the TV, but he let out a whimpering cry when Katie snatched the remote from his hand and turned off the TV. "Katie! What'd you do that for?"

"Have you finished packing yet, Big Bro?" Katie asked, projecting an air of innocence, lightly tapping her fingers against the plastic object in her hand. "You know you're going on tour officially later today...well, tonight. Remember? First stop is San Diego."

"I know where we're going," Kendall stated and leaned forward, reaching for the remote. "And I'm almost done."

"10 bucks and I'll finish packing for you," Katie offered, waving the remote under Kendall's nose like a hot pastry. "_And _you can go back to watching the game; I won't hold the remote hostage."

Kendall gave an amused smile as he leaned back against the couch again. His sister was always trying to find get-rich-quick schemes and for the most part they worked. There was the snow cone machine, playing poker against the house-keeping staff, setting up a 'VIP' area at the Palm Woods pool and probably a lot more that he didn't know about. It worried him a little that his sister, who was 14 years old, cared more about getting money than school…or boys…

_Well, not caring about boys isn't necessarily a bad thing _Kendall's smile widened a bit. _That way I have more time to perfect my skills in trying to scare off whatever boy tries to hit on her. _His smile had slowly morphed to a psychotic one, which alarmed Katie.

"Dude, I only asked if you wanted me to finish your packing for you, not to murder basically every figure skater in the world." She stated, taking a step back.

Kendall laughed and stood up, purposefully messing up his little sister's hair. "Thanks for the offer, but I'm not going to fuel your greed, Baby Sister."

"What about the hockey game you were watching?"

"I was watching ESPN," Kendall shrugged. "Just the highlights, nice try though." He then stretched and walked into the room that he and Logan shared and sighed when he saw the mountain of clothes that was sitting on the floor by his large suitcase, while Logan was sitting on his bed, probably doing extra credit for a jump on the next school year, his stuff already packed away. "Why does packing have to be so annoying?"

"Well, if you hadn't had procrastinated on it, then you wouldn't have that problem." Logan remarked, looking up from his notebook. "I mean, even James and _Carlos _have finished packing, and it takes them _forever_. They've already gone down to the pool, probably to find Jo and Stephanie."

"Oh, so you're telling me that James actually managed to get all of his hair care products in his eight different bags?" Kendall sounded skeptic as he stated to pick up shirts and throw them into his suitcase, not bothering to see if they were clean or not. "That's a shock!"

"I thought the same thing," Logan stated and then gave a sly smile. "But that just means that he's going to be the one that's paying more for the extra bags when we start to fly everywhere." He then went back to his notebook.

Kendall chuckled to himself and continued to move around the room, throwing everything that he could into his suitcase haphazardly and then gently set his valuable items into the suitcase afterwards. Things like a picture of him, his mom, and his sister; his phone charger, his extra mp3 player, a watch he had gotten from his grandfather were all put into his suitcase with utmost care, just in case anything should get broken. Then he just threw everything back on top of the stuff and tried to close the suitcase, quickly growing frustrated when the zipper continued to get stuck.

"You see, that wouldn't have happened if you just packed when we were supposed to." Logan commented, setting his notebook aside.

"So are you going to help me or just sit there?" Kendall shot back, blowing his blonde fringe from his face.

"I'm going to watch," Logan replied and gave a boyish smile as Kendall shot him an annoyed look.

_Typical Logie, always wanting to watch someone wallow in their misfortune than help them. _Kendall grabbed his hockey stick as he stared at his suitcase. _Oh well, I'm going to have to do this the hard way then. _He raised the hockey stick high over his head and then started to beat the filled suitcase with it.

_Whack. Whack. Whack._

"Do you really think that that's going to work?" Logan gave a skeptical laugh as he watched Kendall murder his inanimate suitcase.

"I have to instill some fear in it somehow," Kendall replied, breathing heavily as he lowered the hockey stick to the floor. "How else do you expect me to get this thing closed?"

"Uh, pack it right?" Logan asked, raising an eyebrow. He flinched and crossed his arms over his face as Kendall turned to him, raising his hockey stick higher in the air. "Kidding, I'm just kidding!" He walked over and peered into Kendall's suitcase. "Basically what you need to do is actually _fold_ the stuff instead of piling it all in there." He picked up a shirt and started to shake it out. "You see what you do is-"He suddenly put down the shirt and turned to Kendall, narrowing his eyes into a glare. "You did this on purpose so I would do it for you."

"Yep," Kendall declared and slapped him on the shoulder. "Thanks, Logie."

"You fucking suck, you know that right?" Logan sighed and got to work on the rest of the clothes in Kendall's suitcase.

"I've heard you say it once or twice," Kendall stated and sat down on the other side of his suitcase as he watched Logan do his work for him. From the open door he heard two knocks in the front door to the apartment. "BACK HERE!" He shouted, causing Logan to jump. He already knew who it was.

"Hey Logie-Bear, Hey K-Dawg," Rhuben greeted as she and Riley strolled into the guys' bedroom. She laughed as Logan flinched visibly and muttered 'I hate it when you call me that'. "Where is everybody? Still packing?"

"Uh, James and Carlos are down at the pool," Kendall replied, ticking off on his fingers. "Katie was just here, but she may have gone with my mom somewhere, I don't know." He shrugged and then gestured over to Logan. "But Logie here has been so gracious as to offer to help me pack."

"Procrastination much?" Riley snorted and peered into the suitcase. "Tsk tsk," she shook her head. "What are we going to do with you, Eyebrows?" Riley asked, sounding like a concerned mother, causing Logan and Rhuben to laugh.

"Haha," Kendall rolled his eyes as he looked at her. "You're _so_ funny."

"Aren't I?" Riley smirked in reply.

Kendall studied her for a moment. He didn't really know her that well, but there was something about her that fascinated him. Her confidence and the fact that she wasn't afraid to say things that other people were afraid to say were some of them, the other being that even though her first adoptive father, Robert, told her and her siblings not to help the BTR guys in any way (before Gustavo hired them to) she went ahead and did it anyway.

He looked over at Rhuben; then there was Riley's twin sister, the one that was the co-leader of the DarkElements, Riley's right hand man, and had her own confidence about her. She was the person that could look at you in a way that seemed like she was looking right through you. She could also look at you so coldly that you wanted to apologize for something, even if you didn't do anything to apologize for.

The two of them were identical twins, and were easily confused by the guys at first, but now that he was getting to know them, he could easily see the differences between the two. It didn't hurt that as soon as the bands started to work together, he was automatically 'paired up' to work closely with Riley, as they're both the leaders of their bands.

"What are you guys doing here anyway?" Logan asked, suddenly looking confused. "Without your brothers I mean, because you're usually…with them…" he winced. "Oh, I'm sorry guys." He apologized quickly, seeing the look on the twin girls' face.

Kendall couldn't help but wince as well. It hadn't been long since the Jacksons were rescued from their abusive father, but there were times where they had either completely forgotten about it or would bring up something that would remind them about it without meaning to. And because the Jacksons were his friends, it hurt him and made him feel guilty when he saw the look of fear flash over their faces.

"Its fine," Rhuben replied after a minute, letting out a heavy sigh. She pulled her hair from her ponytail and shook it out, running her fingers through the length. "I need a haircut," she muttered absentmindedly. "Anyway, we came here to ask you guys something." She quickly pulled her hair back up in a ponytail. "So," She spoke to the two guys, but kept her eyes on Logan. "We wanted to invite you guys to dinner." Rhuben said, cracking her knuckles.

_Well, that was sudden. _Kendall raised an eyebrow as he looked over at Logan. He almost burst out laughing when he saw that he looked interested, excited, and trying to look cool all at the same time. But Kendall knew that Logan wasn't going to give a calm answer without sounding indecisive and decided to speak up. "Sounds like a date to me," Kendall stated.

"You could only be so lucky, Hockey-Head." Riley replied without even having to think about the retort. She pulled her phone out of her pocket as it gave a 'bling' sound, signaling she had a text. She quickly answered it before lifting her head again. "No, we're inviting all of your guys to dinner for one last day of relaxation before you go on your headlining tour."

"I'm guessing this is a joint thing from Ronan and Kelly?" Logan asked and then snorted. "Because there's no way that Gustavo would want to take us anywhere let alone pay for us to eat when he could just eat everything himself."

"You got that right." Kendall agreed.

"Right," Rhuben nodded once. "It is from Ronan and Kelly, and it's a pretty nice place, not so much that you have to dress up, but we have reservations in about an hour or so."

"Great," Kendall declared as he leapt to his feet. He gave a charming smile as he placed a hand on the wall by the girls' heads and leaned closer towards them. "I could use some help with my packing and laundry."

"And with your bad breath," Riley added, pushing him back a few steps, using her free hand to wave in front of her face.

"Zing." Rhuben said as more of a statement, than a declaration as she moved next to Logan, giving her best friend a short smile as she did so, and started to help him fold clothes. She looked up sharply when Riley's phone went off two, three, four more times.

"Who are you texting?" Kendall asked, rubbing his chest, as if he could wipe away his bruised ego. "Something must be wrong if they're really trying to get your attention." He shot a look at Logan, who shrugged, and then looked at Riley again, widening his eyes slightly. "A friend of yours?"

"Uh," Riley took a few seconds to answer him as she finished texting on her phone, shoving it into her front pocket. "I guess."

Kendall ran a hand over his mouth, lowering his voice a little. "Do you ever let anyone in?" He asked. He knew that she knew what he was talking about, what he was really asking; do you ever let anyone in to get to know you? Do you ever _not _have that wall up? Do you ever not keep people an arm's length away from you?

Riley twisted her mouth to the side as she thought about it and then looked up at him, her blue eyes meeting his green-yellow ones.

"I'm working on it."

* * *

><p>"Dude, this place smells like it has <em>great<em> food." Carlos grinned as the two bands and their music producers made their way through the crowded Japanese restaurant to their table. "I can't wait until they do that fire thing in front of you, that's my favorite part!"

"Yeah, just make sure that you don't get too close and burn your eyebrows off again!" James stated, clapping him on the back and laughed along with his friends at the thought of it.

"Ugh," Gustavo groaned loudly as the adults moved to the far end of the table. "Someone shoot me if the _dogs_ get too out of control tonight, I don't' think I'd be able to stand the embarrassment."

"Ok, with what?" Riley asked, humoring him. "A single shot?"

"A multi-barrel?" Rhuben added.

"A semi-automatic?" Patrick guessed.

"A harmonica pistol?" Noah smiled.

"A machine pistol?" Sydney concluded.

"Don't ask," Ronan stated as he noticed everyone's odd looks. "Just don't ask. They watch _way _too much Investigation Discovery as it is anyway."

"So," Sydney turned back to James and Carlos, his big blue eyes wide with curiosity. "How did Carlos burn off his eyebrows?"

"You should have seen it," Katie was saying to Patrick and Noah as all of them took their seats. She was sitting next to her mother on one side, and Patrick on the other, him having beaten his brother out for a seat next to her. "He wanted to see what the food looked like while it was being cooked and-"

"-and leaned too close as the chef was putting on the fire," Kendall interrupted. He waved his hands up in the air to mimic a rising flame. "Whoosh, next thing you know, Carlos is on the floor, dousing his face with water because his eyebrows got burnt off."

"Kendall!" Katie balled up her napkin and threw it at her brother. "I was telling the story."

Kendall laughed and tossed the napkin back at her before leaning next to Sydney and looking at the menu. After quickly deciding what he wanted, his gaze moved around the restaurant, taking over the décor. If he had to guess, Gustavo only chose to eat there because he could eat a lot more food, but pay less for it. He had seen Gustavo do it before, he just hoped this time the big music producer would eat enough sushi to appease his appetite, but not give him food poisoning again.

Kendall continued to look around the restaurant at the other patrons, and his eyes landed on a teenage boy that was a few tables away. His eyes narrowed for a fraction of a second, wondering why he looked familiar. _Oh yeah, he's that guy from the show yesterday. Austen…I think._

Austen seemed to have noticed Kendall's stare, for he looked up and looked directly at him. Kendall gave a friendly nod and a short wave, and Austen just stared back at him before nodding back slowly. He then reached out to the table and picked his phone up in his hand and seemed to text someone.

He looked back at the table as Riley's and Rhuben's phones both started to buzz. He noticed Patrick, Noah, and Sydney shift in their seats oddly.

"Hey," Logan nudged Rhuben's shoulder. "Do you know that guy?" He pointed across the restaurant towards Austen, who was now looking at his menu, but the way that it was tilted, to Kendall, it looked like the guy was looking right at them.

"No, why," Rhuben replied, shaking her head as she briefly looked at him. "Wasn't he at the show last night?"

"Yeah, he was," Carlos agreed, leaning over so he could get a good look. "He asked if we had security or something to protect us from crazy fans."

"After the last one, it's probably a good idea." Patrick stated. "What was wrong with that one again?"

"Something about sneaking into their hotel room," Riley reminded him, shrugging a shoulder. "Investing in security may not be a bad idea." She added and then noticed Kendall looking at her. "What?" Riley asked sharply, her eyes moving over towards Kendall.

His eyebrows twitched for a second. He wasn't sure, but for a moment he thought he had seen a look of exasperation…maybe fear…flash through her eyes. But it went away as soon as she looked at him. Kendall shrugged, lacing his fingers together; he rested his elbows on the table, leaning forward a little bit.

"Nothing."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This seems like an uneventful chapter, but it was all needed for the story. If anyone's confused, I raise Katie's age a bit in my stories. I hope you guys liked this chapter, slight drama, some humor, some sexual tension (because who doesn't like to read about sexual tension every now and then) and one more clue as to what is really going on. Any guesses yet? If so, either send it in a PM or an e-mail, because I would rather tell you if you're right or wrong through that than through a review or something.**

**Next chapter will show more of Ronan, Kelly, Gustavo, and Mrs. Knight and it will feature the first concert in San Diego as well as showing more James and Carlos. Things are going to pick up soon, the first few chapters are going to be kind of slow, but I'm getting there. Yes, if you've noticed, I've added in the summary that there is sexuality in this story. IE so far I'm planning a lot of making out and stuff, but if there is anyone having sex, I'd write Lemonades, not Lemons. (If you're confused Lemons are just graphic sex, lemonades are sex, but with emotions and prose in there, not just a bunch of explaining what's going on).**

**Alright, since I'm only working on 4 stories (one that's a Suite Life on Deck on that's almost finished) I'm uploading a new one, maybe two new BTR stories soon. One of which is my story 'ELEVATE' which goes more into the music industry and the process in which it takes to make a CD, or to be more specific, the guys' second CD. Also, I'm putting up a re-write of my WFLT series; I don't have a title for them yet, but that will be up soon as well.**

**I'll update again soon, be on the lookout for Elevate as well as updates to me other stories.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	4. Enigma

**.:Chapter Four - Enigma:.**

* * *

><p>"Hey guys, which bunk is mine?" James asked as he dragged his bag across the carpeted floor of their rented tour bus. He stopped pulling and let out a sigh of content as he stood up, stretching his back muscles. He heard Kendall, Logan, Riley, Noah, Sydney, and Katie running around the tour bus above his head, marveling at the size of the bus and all of the luxuries that were on it.<p>

"Whichever one's empty, dude."Carlos replied, his head popping out of one of the five top bunks on the curtained bunk-beds. "But if I were you, I'd choose one of the top ones; you know that Kendall talks loudly in his sleep and that it's amplified up here. But Logan smiling in his sleep is even worse, especially when it looks like it's directed at you when you're walking by him."

"Good point," James agreed. He grinned over at Carlos before grabbing his bag once more and dragged it backwards a few more steps before stopping at one of the last few bunk beds and tossed his bag inside the top bunk. He then climbed up a second later and flopped onto his side, giving a sigh of content.

_This is the life _he couldn't help but let a smile slide onto his face. _Singing, making music, hanging out with my best buds, and being able to play a show every night for the next two months. I knew that fame and fortune would be good to me._

"Is there any particular reason why you're smiling like that?" Patrick asked, raising an eyebrow as he walked by the bunk bed, dragging a comb through his hair. He then gave a sardonic smile. "I mean, I love you like a friend, dude. I don't swing that way."

Carlos burst out into hysterical laughter as James rolled his eyes. James sat up carefully, making sure that he didn't hit his head on the ceiling. "That's alright," He replied quickly. "You're not my type." He couldn't help but grin back as Patrick gave an easy going smile.

"Uh, what did I just miss?" Rhuben asked as she walked over to the bunk beds, a backpack on her back and an odd expression on her face.

"Nothing, Beautiful," James swung his legs out from the bed and jumped to the floor. "Don't worry about it, just guy stuff." He turned to Carlos and Patrick and gave a wink. "Right?" He then turned back to Rhuben and gave her a charming, disarming smile.

"Right!" Carlos replied, punching the air. His fist collided with the ceiling and he let out a sharp cry of pain as he brought his hand down and shook his hand out.

Patrick just stayed silent.

"Uh-huh," Rhuben replied shortly, obviously not believing them. She then turned to Patrick, absentmindedly tossing her backpack onto a bottom bunk. "Anyway, Patrick, I have a delivery for you, if you don't mind."

"No, not at all" Patrick tossed the comb back and forth between his hands. "What's up? What do you need?"

"A delivery?" Carlos asked, letting out a hyena-like cackle. "What? Is that code for 'I need tampons'?" He continued to laugh until he abruptly stopped, a disgusted look appearing on his face. "Ew!"

_Typical Carlos, he can't have a normal conversation with a girl without making something awkward. _James smiled to himself as he briefly glanced up at Carlos before looking back at Rhuben. _I wonder what kind of delivery she needs. It's also odd that she asked for a 'delivery' instead of him just getting something for her._

Rhuben rolled her eyes before turning back to Patrick, now ignoring James and Carlos completely. "It's not important yet," Rhuben pulled her phone out of her pocket and checked the time. "But I'll let you know when we get to the arena or whatever."

"Cool beans."

James smiled a little as he watched the exchange. To be perfectly honest, he felt a little jealous of them, of Kendall and Katie too. As a kid, he always wanted a little brother or sister, because he easily got bored playing by himself. It's not like his parents tried; they had even gotten pregnant two times, but his mother always had miscarriages, and he knew that it wasn't going to happen after they got their divorce. So he when he became friends with Kendall, Logan and Carlos, they quickly adopted each other as brother. Even going as far as to prick their fingers with a needle and mixing their blood together to become 'blood brothers' to make it official.

James felt the bus start to move under his feet and quickly shot out a hand to grab onto the bunk bed, so he wasn't knocked over. _Finally, the concert tour is starting. I can't wait to see all of our fans' faces. _He turned to his friends. "Just think guys, in two hours we'll be in San Diego, in three hours we'll be starting our show."

Rhuben looked amused as she placed her hands on her hips. "Hm, something tells me that James is excited for the show tonight."

"Something tells me you're right," Carlos agreed. He then started to pull himself out of his bunk bed carefully, but the bus made a sharp turn and he slid out, crashing to the floor. "Ugh," Carlos pushed himself off of the ground, rubbing his forehead that his helmet didn't protect. "Remind me to insist that the next time we rent a tour bus, we make sure that the ground is made of bubble wrap."

* * *

><p>Upstairs in the sitting area, complete with a TV, DVD Player, Xbox, GameCube, and PS3 Gustavo was, once again, complaining about something.<p>

"Why do I have to share a tour bus with the _dogs_?" Gustavo grumbled as he flipped through numerous TV channels. "I'm _Gustavo Rocque_! I'm supposed to get my _own_ tour bus!" He pouted and slid further down on the couch. "AND WHY IS THERE NOTHING TO WATCH ON TV!"

"Give me that!" Ronan snapped and grabbed the remote from him. He pointed it at the TV and jabbed a button, turning it to the news. "Maybe this can keep you from whining every two minutes."

"Now you know what I have to put up with," Kelly stated, rolling her eyes. "Every _second _of every _minute_ of every _day_ for as long as I have known him." She finished her rant, slapping Gustavo on the arm.

"Ow!" Gustavo cried, grabbing onto his bicep. "What was that for?"

"Probably for everything that you have ever done in life to annoy her," Ronan replied. He turned up the volume on the remote as Gustavo started to snap back at him, easily drowning him out. "Shh, I want to hear this."

"It's the _news_," Gustavo snorted. "You can just read about it in the newspaper tomorrow, everything they say on here they just repeat with even less details on the newspaper and-"

"Shhh!" Kelly and Ronan shushed him again, causing Gustavo to close his mouth, still glaring.

"_A few days ago we broke the story of the suburban man, Lucas McMahon, who was found shot dead outside of his house. He had been on his way to work, and had just stepped outside the front door when he was shot. His wife, Macy, had heard the gunshot and ran to see what happened, finding her husband on the front porch, shot in the chest. There were no witnesses and no suspects to the crime. Lucas McMahon had pronounced dead on his arrival at the hospital. After that news story broke, there had been numerous tips being called in to the police and while there have been no arrests there are a few suspects to the crime. Some tips that came in from an anonymous source claims they saw a tall brunette teenage boy running from the neighborhood around the same time the gunshots were heard. And as of this moment, the police are investigating the crime as a murder."_

"_Also, the murder of Lucas McMahon may be connected to the death of Sylvia Hodges. The 25 year old woman was on her way back to her apartment from work in her 2004 Camry when she was driven off of the road, causing her car to crash into a light pole. She was killed instantly. In that collision there have been numerous reports of a brunette teenage boy fleeing the scene. The police don't know if it's the same boy in the murder of Lucas McMahon but they're not ruling it out."_

"Gustavo?" Mrs. Knight asked slowly as she walked into the TV area of the tour bus. She walked over to the couch and just as slowly as she was speaking, sat down. "Didn't you say something about being stuck in traffic due to a car accident a few days ago?"

"Yeah, so what?" Gustavo said. He then looked confused. "How did you know that, you weren't even there?"

"The boys mentioned it in passing," Mrs. Knight replied shortly. "Was that the same accident that you were talking about?"

"Maybe," Gustavo shrugged. "Who cares? All that matters now is that we need to make sure that the dogs are ready for their headlining concert! They need to be on schedule, on point, they need to be perfect! One little blemish and they'll be scarred for life."

"Why do I get the feeling that it will actually be _you_ that's scarred for life?" Ronan asked, turning down the volume on the TV as it turned to a commercial.

Gustavo turned and glared at Ronan. "You know it's a _long_ walk to San Diego, McGuire."

Ronan made a face and then looked at the ceiling for a few moments, before lowering his gaze and looking at Gustavo again, leaning forward and resting his hands on his knees. "Listen, Gustavo, I get that you want the guys to have a perfect concert." He said gently. "And I also get that you want to be sure that they do well enough so you can prove to Griffin, the record company, or your family or whoever, that you can make a comeback when you want to."

"But," Kelly and Mrs. Knight prompted.

"_But_," Ronan agreed. "I think you're being a little too hard on yourself. Your stress is just going to cause everyone else's stress and anxiousness to get into the guys and cause them to have a terrible show." He shrugged and then leaned back again. "Besides, the fact that my kids are the opening act should bring you some comfort. They've gone through this before; as the opening band, the supporting act, _and_ as the headlining band, so if they have any problems, the guys can just go to them for help. I mean," Ronan shrugged. "Isn't that what you hired them for?"

Kelly tried not to laugh at the look on Gustavo's face. It was a no-brainer that Gustavo didn't like to ask for help when he really needed it. He hated it almost as much as he hated giving help to people, but because he and Ronan were _somewhat_ friends (although if you asked Kelly she would say that the two of them were best friends but wouldn't acknowledge it) he knew that he could get help without having to sacrifice his dignity.

"Like I said before, _McGuire_," Gustavo stressed his last name. "It's a _loooooong _walk to San Diego."

"Gustavo, if I may be a bit nosy," Mrs. Knight interjected. "But you seem to be a bit tenser than usual." She said slowly, watching his face. "Is there something that's bothering you?" She didn't need to ask, she knew that something was bothering him. After having raised Kendall and Katie on her own, then going onto raising James, Logan, and Carlos in LA she had grown accustomed to seeing signs to them having problems they couldn't talk about with each other.

And because Gustavo was so angry all the time, and Kelly had explained to her that it was probably deeply rooted from his parents forcing him to play piano all the time when he was a kid instead of going out to play. But now, she could see that there was something else that was bothering him.

"You're right," Gustavo stated after a second. "You're being nosy."

"Gustavo," Kelly stated sharply, glaring at him so hard, causing him to jump. "She's just worried about you and frankly so am I! And so is Ronan!"

"I am?" Ronan raised an eyebrow, turning from the TV and looking at Gustavo's assistant. He jumped when Kelly glared at him as well. "Yes. Mhm, very worried."

Gustavo stayed silent for a few more moments. "Fine," he mumbled. "I think," he reached up and took his sunglasses off of his face. His hands were shaking and he suddenly looked pale. "I think that the guy that ran that woman off the road wasn't aiming for her." He took a deep breath. "I think he was trying to kill me."

"Are you sure?" Kelly asked after a moment, exchanging curious glances with Mrs. Knight. She didn't look too concerned.

"I'm not sure, "Gustavo rubbed his eyes. "That's why I said _I think_. I could have just been imagining things." He sounded like he was supposed to be convincing himself more than the others. "And there _are_ such things as aggressive drivers."

"Takes one to know one." Ronan remarked and moved his legs to the side as Gustavo reached over, trying to punch him. "I was kidding."

"Gustavo, if you really think that someone was trying to purposefully run you off the road like what happened to that one woman on the news…then you should call the police." Mrs. Knight remarked. "If it really was connected to the shooting of that other man, then you're not safe."

"I don't think it needs to come to that," Ronan said. He turned his green eyes to Gustavo. "I mean, you just said that you're under a lot of stress. Maybe it was just getting to you. Maybe you fell asleep for a moment at the wheel and almost ran off the road." He shrugged. "We weren't there, so we don't know what happened."

"Yeah," Gustavo replied after a moment. "You're probably right." His eyes shifted back and forth looking at Mrs. Knight, Kelly, and Ronan. He then cleared his throat and stood up. "Man, these silences make me uncomfortable. Is there anything to eat?" He got to his feet and left the sitting area.

Mrs. Knight, Kelly, and Ronan looked at each other for a moment before bursting out into laughter and following him.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Hmm, not my best chapter so far but things pick up in the next one, since it's a bit of slow going so far….oh well. Now its chapter four, and I've had a guess as to what's going on so far, and they were partly right, but still not completely. I don't know if it's because my hints are too vague, or if it's because the hints are too hard. (But them possibly being too hard is mostly on purpose, because it's only the fourth chapter and I don't want you guys to figure it out already). Anyways, I hope you guys liked this chapter as well as getting the twist about Gustavo.**

**I had originally planned to have the concert be shown in this chapter, but then I realized that it wasn't as important as my other idea for the chapter was. So instead, I decided to put in the news report as well as showing a bit more of what's going on with the Jackson in a moment between Rhuben and Patrick. What sort of delivery do **_**you **_**think that Rhuben needs Patrick to do? He seems really willing to help her with it…The next chapter has the concert and a bit more with what's going on and more of James and Carlos because I decided to make this chapter more about the adults, like I said before, the story will be picked up soon.**

**I hope I kept the writings of the POVs done well, because you were in two different places (with the guys and then with the adults) so I hope that was done well. So, any more guesses yet? Next chapter will be up soon and for those who have been waiting **_**Fairy Tale Nightmare **_**and **_**Ready to Roll **_**will be the next stories updated. Next chapter will have some Lella moments because last chapter had some Kiley moments.**

**I hope you guys had a very Merry Christmas filled with good times with friends and family and that a lot of laughter was shared and memories were made. Mine was great, my sister got me the Mighty Ducks trilogy on DVD, a Kingdom Hearts belt buckle, a nautical star keychain (to go with my tattoo), candy, and…A NEW BASS GUITAR! I freaking love it. I was kind of bummed I didn't get BTR concert tickets like I had asked for, but they sold out fast so…no BTR for me when they come to my hometown in March. But I'll get over it. Again, I hope you had a great Christmas and that you'll have a happy new year.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	5. Curiosity Kills

**.:Chapter Five – Curiosity Kills:.**

**A/N: This chapter goes from Carlos' POV, to third person omniscient at the end, just so you all know.**

* * *

><p>Carlos' favorite part about going on tour was that he could basically bounce off the walls as much as he wanted; and because the arenas that they played in were so big he could do whatever he wanted without getting caught easily. So far, he had gone through the Valley View Casino Center on a car that he and James "borrowed" from security and found a lot of great places to hang out before the show.<p>

His stomach started to twist in knots as he followed James' direction to take a right and go down another extended hallway. He was getting nervous as the start of the show was drawing closer and closer. Either that, or he was worried about getting caught, but it was most likely the concert.

The nerves were something he hated, but it was also something he delighted in. t was the adrenaline rush and the nerves right before a show that really made him excited. It was the nervous energy that made him feel invincible, that he could do anything he set his mind to; even making each and every show different just by the crowd's energy levels that he fed off of. There was nothing like it, and if he didn't push Kendall into going along with Gustavo Rocque in the first place, then he would have definitely missed out.

Carlos couldn't help but grin. _Here we are, doing something that others only __dream__ of. _"So, where do you think this hallways leads?"

"I don't know," James shook his head as he leaned back, tilting his head in a way so that his hair would blow out of his face perfectly. "Hey," his eyes lit up. "Maybe it will take us to the Pussycat Dolls' dressing room; I heard that they're performing here tonight too."

"Yeah," Carlos snorted, sounding skeptical. "Maybe she remembers her future husband, who just babbled at her the one, and probably only, time he met her." James reached out and shoved Carlos' arm. "HEY! DON'T HIT THE DRIVER WHILE HE'S DRIVING!" T he jostle had caused Carlos to accidentally turn the wheel towards the wall, and he had to jerk it back to the right to keep from colliding with the concrete wall that lined the hallway.

"Nicole Scherzinger _will_ be my wife," James stated confidently. "It may take a few years, but it'll happen."

"Yeah, try telling that to all of our fans that have their hearts set on marrying you." Carlos stated and then started to grin goofily. "But then again, that's probably the best thought _ever_! Having so many people that want to be with you…" he looked thoughtful. "Maybe I can finally get a girlfriend."

"Yeah, unless Stephanie kills you," James commented airily. "But a roadie that will do anything _for _you, now that's something that I would probably be interested in." He nudged Carlos with his elbow and gave a hearty laugh.

Carlos laughed along with him as they drove up a ramp. His laughter ceased and a look of intense confusion slid onto his face as they whizzed past filled parking spaces. He looked around a few times before slowing to a stop.

"Dude, how did we get to the Parking garage?" He asked, turning to James, who was also looking around.

"I…don't know," James replied slowly. He raised himself halfway out of his seat and looked around. "There's not much space to turn around," he stated as he sat back down again, pushing back in his seat far enough so that his legs didn't get cramped in the tiny cart. "Just keep driving until you find an empty space to pull into so we can go back."

"Aye Aye, Captain!" Carlos replied, mimicking a pirate, along with giving a salute, and floored the gas pedal, climbing the parking lot structure. He and James zoomed through the lot, waving at people they passed and laughing at the excited screams that some Rushers (BTR Fans) shot their way when they recognized them as they went by. "Geez, how long does this parking garage-"

"Watch out!" James cried, pointing straight ahead.

Carlos screamed and slammed on the brakes, causing the car to stop so fast he and James were thrown forward. They held onto their seats as hard as they could, to keep themselves from flying out of the car. Carlos' eyes stung as the straps to his helmet whipped forward and hit him in the face. Pushing them away, he looked up and gulped loudly.

_Oh geez, we're busted. _He thought to himself, exchanging a look with James, whose expression of fear mirrored his own.

Standing in front of them were three tall and beefy men, glaring at them. Each of them was wearing yellow security jackets, which James and Carlos could see nightsticks and walkie-talkies underneath, attached to their belts.

"It's alright," the only one that was balled stated into his walkie-talkie, which he had in his hand. "We found the boys and the stolen cart."

"Stolen?" James laughed nervously. "I wouldn't say we _stole_ the cart." He gave a shrug. "I would say that we _borrowed_ it."

"Hey!" Carlos suddenly pointed at the three guys. "Weren't you those guys that were chasing us around he lot on Good Day, LA?" He then grinned as the three men's eyes narrowed. "You are! Wow, what a coincidence!" He turned to James and started to slap him on the arm. "Hey James, guess what it's the guys who-"he suddenly paused and slowly lowered his finger. "Oh."

"Hold it right there!" the bald security guard barked.

"Step on it!" James cried at the same time.

Carlos made a 'eep' sound and put the car into reverse, turned around so he could see where he was going, and pushed down on the gas pedal, effectively going back the way they came, but by driving backwards.

"Hey! STOP!"

The security guards chased after the, right on the heels of the cart that wasn't even moving at 20 MPH as they zoomed down the ramps of the parking garage. As Carlos whooped and hollered in delight, James was having fun too, but he was also making sure that Carlos turned the right way when he needed it and also screamed if someone got in the way. (The sight of pedestrians scrambling to get out of the way of the cart, as well as the three middle aged men running after the cart was just hysterical).

"Carlos, watch it!" James suddenly cried as they flew around the corner and started down another ramp, when he spotted Riley walk out from between two parked cars. Carlos looked around and suddenly braked, stopping in front of her, causing Riley to let out a yelp and jump backwards.

"Watch it you maniacs!" She cried. She looked at them and then at the cart. "You _do_ know you're driving backwards right?" She shook her head. "Wait. What are you doing?"

"Running from security," Carlos stated as he pointed straight ahead of him, where the security guards who then barreled around the corner and ran straight for them. "Get on!" He eagerly tightened and loosened his grip on the steering wheel. _This is probably the most fun that I've ever had! Kendall and Logan will be soooo jealous once they find out._

"Ugh," Riley whipped her phone from her pocket. "The only time I _don't_ have Rhu's or Syd's camera with me." She grabbed onto James' outstretched hand and allowed him to help her onto the cart before Carlos flew it in reverse once more.

"Hang on," Carlos said to her. "I can't really see where I'm going, so I'm making the best of it."

"What are you doing all the way out here anyway?" James asked Riley, practically shouting over the sound of the cart as they continued to slowly widen the gap from the security guards. "You guys are going on in, like, a half hour."

"I was meeting up with a friend before the show," Riley replied as she held onto her phone tightly, filming the security guards as they ran after them. "But they didn't show, so I was on my way back to the dressing room." She managed a grin, although she let out an involuntary squeak when Carlos swerved to miss a car that started to back out. "Thanks for the lift though, Handsome."

"You're welcome, Beautiful." James shot her a smile in reply.

"Almost there," Carlos sing-songed as they went back into the closed hallway towards their dressing rooms. The people that were walking through the hallway, talking loudly in cell phones and to each other, flattened themselves against the wall as they went by. "Excuse me! Sorry!" He finally pulled into the spot that James and Carlos had taken the cart from and parked the cart. "That's our last stop! Thanks for taking the Garcia Tour Line and come again soon." He said like an announcer as he climbed out of the cart.

"Thanks for a wild ride, CareBear," Riley stated and hesitated a moment before walking over to him and giving him a quick hug. "We'll see you guys when we're about to go on stage," she added, speaking to him and James before walking off to her dressing room.

"Later," Carlos called after her. He then pulled his helmet off of his head and wiped the sweat off of his forehead. _I don't get how at one moment they can be so standoffish, and then the next; they act like we're best friends. _He frowned. _I don't think that they have ever actually admitted that we're friends though._ He then shrugged and put the helmet back on. _It'll just take some time. _He turned to James and grinned. "Let's go rub this into Kendall's and Logan's faces."

"Yeah, let's go." James agreed.

Carlos led the way over to their dressing room and burst inside, causing Kendall and Logan, who were playing Halo on the Xbox to jump and scream. Somehow, that caused Logan to push a button on his controller that ended up blowing up Kendall.

"Haha! Yes!" Logan cheered, punching the air with his fists.

"No way!" Kendall shouted back in reply, angrily throwing his controller onto the ground. "That doesn't count!" He turned back to Carlos and James. "What did you do that for? I was winning."

_And there goes Kendall, being overly competitive again. _Carlos thought with a fond smile. "Aww, you can cheat you way to win later, you guys aren't going to believe what James and I just did?"

"Bungee jump off the side of the building?" Logan guessed. "No, I know," he then frowned. "I don't care!"

"Dude," James looked affronted. "Harsh."

"I just don't want to know," Logan stated, holding his hands up and then slapping them down to his sides. "There's always something that you want to tell me that you've done and all it does is cause me so much stress and worry because I might have to fix whatever you've done, and it makes that vein in my forehead start to throb." He pointed to his forehead. "See, there it goes!"

"Before you make his head explode," Kendall pushed Logan aside and looked at James and Carlos with an eager smile. "What happened?" Carlos excitedly told him what had gone on, his voice growing louder and louder as he continued to retell the story. When he had finished, he was basically jumping up and down out of giddiness with James nodding next to him like a bobble head. Now Kendall's expression of annoyance came back. "Aw man, that's so not fair! How come I miss all the good stuff?"

"Well, maybe it's because you-"

"Hello?" There was a knock on the door and the guys turned around to see Austen standing in the doorway, looking at them oddly. "If I'm interrupting something-"

"What are you doing here?" Carlos cried, pointing at Austen right between the eyes. _He was at our first concert, and then dinner, and now he's __here__! This guy is really creeping me out! _"Who are you? Some sort of stalker?"

"No," Austen gave a humorless smile, taking a step into the room. "I have a ticket and backstage passes to your show." He raised his eyebrows. "I'm sorry, but I was under the impression that if you're a fan of a band, you go to as many shows as possible." He looked at each boy, holding their gaze for a few seconds each. "Or is that just for _girl_ Rushers?"

"No, dude, it's alright," Logan reassured him. He slapped Carlos on the back of his head and then winced when his hand came in contact with the plastic.

"Haha," Carlos laughed teasingly. "You don't mess with the helmet."

"It's just that we're used to girls being the ones that comes to as many shows as possible," James added. "Not that there's anything wrong with having Male Rushers, that's cool too. So," he rubbed his hands together. "Are you excited for the show? We have some really cool stuff with pyrotechnics and stuff coming up."

"Sounds cool," Austen nodded slowly. "Are you guys going to be working on some music soon? Because I've heard that it's better to start working on the new stuff right away, before you lose your fans."

"Why would we lose our fans?" Kendall asked, sounding suspicious.

Austen shrugged. "I'm just making conversation, dude." He remarked and then cleared his throat. "Actually, I was just wondering if you guys could formally introduce me to the DarkElements, I'm big fans of theirs too."

"No problem, buddy!" Carlos slung an arm around Austen's shoulders and turned him around. "Let's go to their dressing room." He then led him to the other dressing room as Kendall, Logan, and James followed them. "I just want to warn you that they can be a bit…off when you first meet them. But since you're a fan, it should be fine."

"Good to know," Austen replied. He looked around and then turned and spoke over his shoulder so he could engage the other three in the conversation. "I see that you guys haven't had any addition to your security. Aren't you afraid that some girls are going to find their way back here and throw themselves at you?"

"Who said that was a bad thing?" James said with a grin. Kendall laughed and exchanged a high-five with him.

Logan rolled his eyes. "You're such a-"

"Guy?" James interrupted. "I'm a _guy_, Logie. I _do_ think about sex every now and then." Logan made a face, but didn't say anything back.

"Alright," Carlos pushed Austen in front of him as they reached the dressing room he was looking for. "They're just in here." He reached up and knocked on the door. "Hey guys, I have a fan that wants to meet you!"

"Come in!" Sydney called back in reply.

Carlos grabbed the doorknob and pushed the door open to see Patrick playing the guitar on the couch, Riley, Rhuben, and Noah were on the floor, looking at a computer, and Sydney was sitting in a chair, reading a book. They all looked up when the guys entered, their eyes moving over each guys' face. When Patrick spotted Austen, he turned to lock eyes with Rhuben and lightly tilted his head to the side.

Before Carlos could ask what that look meant, he was distracted by the sound of screeching and looked to the ground to see Riley and Rhuben screaming at each other and pulling each other's hair.

"It's your fault!"

"No, it's _your_ fault!"

"Guys, guys," Carlos quickly wedged his way between the two girls, making sure they were his arm's length away from each other. "Don't fight." He pleaded, looking back and forth between the twins. "We're about to start the show, you don't want to go out there on an unhappy note, do you?" He then let out a scream of pain when a flailing arm hit him on the arm.

"Uh, aren't you going to stop them?" Logan asked, turning his brown eyes, which were wide with bewilderment towards Patrick, Noah, and Sydney. They just sat nearby, calmly watching their sisters as they fought.

"No," Noah replied simply. He finally lifted his gaze to Logan. "You obviously have never seen us fight before." He then twisted his mouth to the side as Carlos and the others shook their heads no. "Makes sense. Typically we don't fight much, we try not to. And we hardly ever fight physically, but when we do we're done with it like…"he paused for a moment, holding his middle finger and thumb together. "That." He then snapped and turned back to Riley and Rhuben, who sat, panting on the ground.

To Carlos' amazement, Riley got to her feet and held a hand out to Rhuben, who gratefully took it, and pulled her sister to her feet before giving her a hug. The fight was over. Just like that. Just like Noah had said.

"Sorry," Rhuben muttered.

"Yeah," Riley replied, brushing her hair back out of her face. "I'm sorry, too." She shrugged. "It must be the stress." She winced a little and avoided the others' gazes.

Carlos jumped to his feet, his clothes ruffled a little bit. "Don't worry," he said with a goofy grin, his eyes rolling around. "I'm fine." He then pointed to his head. "The helmet broke my fall."

"Sorry about that, Carlitos," Sydney murmured, looking apologetic. He then looked over at Carlos and his eyebrows raised. "Who's that?"

"Oh," Carlos looked over his shoulder and slapped Austen's back, gently moving him forward. "This is Austen, you know that guy from the first show back in LA?" He grinned, pushing his numerous questions to the back of his mind. He could see out of the corner of his eye that his friends looked a bit uneasy, but tried not to let it bother him. "And in that restaurant? Well, he has tickets to a few of our shows, plus backstage passes for this one, and we were hoping that you guys wouldn't mind meeting him as well, even though he only got the backstage meet and greet for us." His eyes moved over the Jacksons' faces.

They exchanged glances for a moment, and then Patrick put his guitar aside and got to his feet, holding out a hand, a friendly smile on his face. "G'Day Austen, nice to meet ya!" He grabbed onto Austen's hand and shook it vigorously. "I'm Patrick, that's my twin Noah, our little brother Sydney, and our older sisters Riley and Rhuben."

"Nice to meet you, too." Austen replied, shaking each of their hands.

* * *

><p>Austen looked around; making sure no one was following him before sliding out one of the emergency exit doors of the arena. He had gone with the crowd and managed to slip out, undetected. As soon as the doors behind him closed and he made absolute sure that no one was around, he pulled a cigarette and lighter from his jacket pocket. He quickly lit his cigarette and took a few puffs before walking forward a few more steps, sliding his hand into his jeans pocket and pulled out a flashlight, turning it on and off three times.<p>

Then he waited.

After a few seconds of nothing, the three flashes came back to him, simultaneously, from three different directions. Then footsteps headed in his direction as he stepped into the light of a streetlamp. His eyes flicked over the faces of the two teenage boys and the teenage girl that stepped into the light across from him, each waiting patiently.

"I was starting to wonder if you would be able to make it out here," Austen commented, taking another drag from his cigarette. He allowed it to dangle from his lips as smoke blew out of his nostrils. "What with airplane tickets being so expensive now…?"

"Hey, orders are orders," The tall blonde with green bangs stated, giving a malicious smile. "I wouldn't miss this for the world."

"Atta boy, Malice," Austen reached out and patted him on the shoulder. "Keep that drive for when we really need it." He turned to the other two. "Are the others holding down the fort well? Nothing happened?"

"Relax Austen, everything's fine," the brunette with blue eyes replied, cracking his knuckles, his eyes shifty.

"You don't have to patronize him, Braden," the girl replied, pushing her light pink rinsed hair out of her face. She turned and gave Austen a warm, if not seductive, smile. "I'm sure Austen knows what he's doing." She moved her hands out from her leather jacket pockets and held a wad of cash out to Austen.

"What's this for, Candy?" Austen asked taking the money and looking it over before shoving it into the inside pocket of his jacket.

"What do you think?" Candy gave him a wink before walking over to his side, placing both of her hands on his shoulder, leaning into his side. She gave a pointed look to Braden and Malice, who looked amused. "It's the money that we collected on the way to the airport from your…uh…" she tapped her full pink lips. "_friends_."

Austen nodded slowly, his eyes taking another lap of the parking lot. He could hear excited chatter and some screams that seemed to grow louder by the second. Austen made a face, knowing that the two bands were probably leaving the arena at that exact moment.

"So, where are they?" Braden asked, keeping his eyes on Austen's face.

"They should be-"

A loud crash, hysterical laughter, and someone crying in pain was heard behind them, before the sound of footsteps rapidly moving away from them filled the air.

"Shit! This way!" Austen did a complete 180-degree turn and started to sprint down the sidewalk, following the sound of sobbing. Candy fell a little bit behind as Braden and Malice charged after Austen, their footsteps pounding down the street.

They skidded to a stop when they found a man in his forties, lying on the ground. His hands were over the lower right side of his stomach. Candy fell to her knees and pulled a handkerchief out of her pocket and pushed the man's hands away, pressing it over the wound.

"He's been stabbed," she noted as Austen, Braden, and Malice made a circle behind him, looking this way and that. "Not too badly, but it's going to require stitches." She turned to Malice. "Alice, call an ambulance!"

Malice bristled at the name and clenched his teeth together, his eyes narrowed, his hands started to shake, and his chest heaved up and down. "It's _Malice_!" he spat, cruelly. "How long is it going to take to get into your fucking head? It's not _my_ fault my parents thought that-"

"If you can prolong the re-telling of your life story, go call a fucking ambulance!" Braden ordered. Malice gave him the finger and whipped his cell phone from his pocket before hurrying back up the street to find the street signs. Braden turned to Austen. "What are we going to do now?"

"Regroup and try again." Austen replied after a minute. He let out a sigh of frustration and rubbed his neck; the muscles had suddenly bunched up and it didn't seem like they were going to relax anytime soon.

"You seem a little tense, Austen," Candy noted as she stood up, wiping blood off of her hands. She turned towards him and reached up and placed her hands on Austen's shoulders, gently rubbing them. "You could use a full-body massage."

"And I'm sure you'd like to be the one that gives it." Braden remarked.

Candy turned her attention to Braden, although she continued to rub Austen's shoulders. "The offer goes to you, too."

"Get off," Austen roughly pushed Candy away from him, tightening his hands into fists. "If we keep going like this, then all of our work will be for _nothing_!" He yelled out a curse, turned, and punched the brick wall beside him…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This chapter may have seemed like nothing happened, but trust me, a lot happened. I take constructive criticism so I can go back and edit chapters to make the story the best it can be, so please, please, PLEASE recommend this story to others so I can get their opinion. (Also, go back and re-read the 4****th**** chapter, I've added/changed a few things.) Oh and if you're confused at the end of this chapter his name is really Alice, but he hates it so much he makes everyone call him 'Malice'. I've decided that I will only show concerts in this story if it's absolutely necessary, which is why you only saw right before it, and after it.**

**Ah yes, another suspenseful chapter. And Austen has made another appearance, but he's not alone this time. Now he has some friends with him, what did you guys think? What do you think they're around for? A few more hints in this chapter and still so far, no one has guessed what is really going on. Also, the action in this chapter has started, I bet I get your hearts racing wondering what happened, and it's only the fifth chapter. Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, and WayneWayne will appear in the next chapter as well as the other chapters showing everyone rather than just BTR and DE.**

**I realized that I haven't really written chapters that showed Riley's and Rhuben's relationship with each other as sisters and I hope I did it well here. I know a lot of people would say that their fight that was over within a few seconds would be unrealistic, but it IS realistic. It's the way that my sister and I fight in real life. We get over it in a few seconds because our fights are actually really stupid and don't need to be fought over. (But we don't physically fight like in this chapter). Their short fight may have seemed out of place, but it was done like that on purpose.  
><strong>

**Alright, so, I haven't decided whether or not this story is going to have a happy ending, a sad ending, or a bittersweet ending. I've written all three before and I've found success with all of them. But what I think I'll do is right three endings to the story, so you can have one of each, that way no one is disappointed and they can stick with the ending they think will really happen. Plus, I may put up a chapter of 'deleted/extended scenes' because there were a lot of things that I had originally put in the last four chapters that I had taken out or changed because it didn't go with the flow of the story.**

**Anyway, thanks to **_shotinthedark, LogieLuvr914, MysticMelody101, Got2LiveItBigTime, youspinmelikearecord, BigTimeFan-'10, Rayna, BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan, Rage-Against-Time, DarkElements-Jackson-Fan, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, Magical-Memories101, Jenna and bballgirl22_** for reviewing. Your guys' support really helps.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**

**PS - And if anyone says that James and Carlos were kind of OOC when they were talking about fans and roadies and hints of sex and all that, realistically they're not. They're guys; they would be talking about sex and stuff.**


	6. So Much For You

**.:Chapter Six – So Much For You:.**

**This chapter start's with Ronan's POV, then moves into third person omniscient for the rest of the chapter. That's typically how it will go for my story; it will have someone's POV, then move into omniscient.**

* * *

><p>Ronan wondered if it was possible to kill someone else's kid and get away with it.<p>

Or at least be able to soundproof his bedroom so he could get some sleep, but that didn't seem possible. It didn't seem possible that he was going to get to sleep anytime soon either. With a sigh, Ronan rolled over onto his stomach and looked at the alarm clock neck to his bed before pushing himself up and walking over to the doorway. He yawned loudly and rubbed a hand over his face before crossing his arms over his chest and looking out into the main area of the hotel suite.

"Go go go go go, come on, come on!" Kendall furiously pressed the 'A' button on his GameCube controller as his on-screen character, Luigi, shot a tennis ball back over the net and scored a point, getting the win. "YES!" He cheered, tossing his controller to the ground.

"Woohoo!" Riley added, throwing her hands into the air before leaning over and giving Kendall a low-five. "We won, _again_."

"No need to rub it in," Sydney grumbled as he placed his controller in front of him on the ground. "I mean, considering you guys are _always_ on the same team, _always_ make the same shots, and it's not even remotely fair to the rest of us."

"Gee, I wonder why." Katie added, totally deadpan as James, Carlos, and Logan tried to hide their smiles and laughter.

Ronan gave a short smile and walked over to the table that was at the corner of the room and sat down; picking up the book that he had left there and started to read. Was he eavesdropping? Of course, he wasn't the kind of person that would usually try to pry into someone's conversation. But for a while, he felt that it was a good idea to be around his newly adopted children, just to make sure that it was ok. They never said anything about it, if they even noticed, but he could tell from the looks that they got, or the way they relaxed when he came into the room, that they were grateful for it.

"Hey," Kendall held his hands up defensively. "She's my go-to-girl, I can't help it." He then grinned. "And I _also_ can't help it if we just so happen to be the _best_!"

"Oh yeah," Riley added with a grin.

Kendall went to give her a high-five, but as soon as he raised his arm, she flinched and backed five steps away from him. He winced and lowered his arm. "Sorry."

"You're good."

Ronan couldn't help but grimace as he watched from the side of the room, his book in his hands. He had thought that they had gotten over the flinching and the nightmares and other things that had come from their PTSD from their abuse, but he guessed not. _It probably just comes and goes. It's really scary when they flinch like that. _Ronan's hands clenched into fists as he stood up. It made him so angry (at himself and at Robert) about everything that had gone on. He had been suspicious for a long time, but he didn't do anything about it until BTR had basically backed them into a corner and dragged their secret out of them. Part of him was furious that he didn't do it himself, but another part of him was glad that he didn't have to do it, because he wasn't sure how they would react.

"At this point, I could care less, why he chooses her to be on his team or whomever," Ronan stated as he walked over to the kitchen rubbing his temples, his teeth gritted together. "All I care about is this splitting headache that I have. Could you _please_ quiet down?"

"Hmm," Rhuben tapped her chin as she pretended to think. "Well, it's the night that we have just finished our first concert, and we're so hyped up that we're probably going to be up until about 3 o'clock in the morning laughing our heads off about nothing and it's only 10:45." She locked eyes with Ronan. "So, no, I don't think that we're going to quiet down any time soon."

"Plus, all of our best songwriting comes when we're up at two in the morning." Patrick piped up, holding up a pen and notebook that he had brought with him. "Most of our songs, actually."

"You mean most of your weird ones." Ronan made a face back at her and then moved his hand back and forth, signaling that he was going to be watching her, causing Rhuben just to smile in amusement in reply.

Ronan then sighed and shuffled over to the refrigerator. He pulled open the door and looked around inside for a few moments before pulling out a bottle of Samuel Adams. He had popped open the top and tossed away the bottle cap when Patrick's loud gasp caused him to jump.

His shoulders slumped. "Again?" he asked himself. "Seriously?" He turned around and saw that the Jacksons, who had been sitting on the floor a second before, had disappeared. Ronan looked towards the ceiling, before looking back down at Big Time Rush and Katie. "Let me guess, behind the couch?"

Katie nodded and then climbed up onto the couch as Ronan walked over. He grabbed the bottom of the couch and pulled it back a bit before getting up on the couch with Katie (Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James crowded around as well) and peered over the back of the couch. The Jacksons had indeed managed to squeeze behind the couch, they all looked embarrassed, but Sydney was the only one that was actually shivering.

"Sorry," Ronan apologized. "I forgot about your thing with beer." He then sat back on his heels and addressed the boys and Katie. "Because Robert was somewhat of an alcoholic and most of his…rages…were fueled from the alcohol, basically anytime they see me taking one, which isn't often, they freak out and run and hide."

"Really?" Carlos awkwardly rubbed the back of his neck.

"Yeah," Ronan nodded. He then screwed his features up as he thought. "Let's see, once they managed to all fit in the hall closet. Another time Sydney was hiding in the dryer."

"That really sucks." Kendall remarked. "I mean, obviously it does, but I didn't think that it had gotten that bad."

"That's the thing with abuse," Logan said with a shrug. "You never know how badly it's going to mess with someone because people react to it and deal with it in different ways."

"Plus, they had been dealing with it for almost 10 years so..." James trailed off as he looked over the back of the couch again. He frowned as Riley moved her head forward so her hair covered her face. They were obviously still very embarrassed about it.

"Yeah," Ronan let out a sigh and rested his arms over the back of the couch and leaned forward, looking at his five children. "You know I'm not going to hurt you, right?"

"We know," Noah mumbled, messing with the bottom of his shirt. He was twisting it around his finger. He shrugged. "It's just hard."

"What's even harder is all of us squeezing behind this couch," Rhuben stated after a minute, eagerly wanting to change the subject. She tilted her head back and lifted up her hands. "A little help here?"

Carlos reached down and grabbed onto her wrists and lifted her up onto the couch, laughing as the two fell off and hit the floor. "Sorry about that." He apologized. "Oh," his eyes widened. "We can make a game out of this!" Rhuben gave him a weird look, but smiled a little. "No, seriously, it'll be fun."

"You want to make a game of falling off the couch?" Katie asked skeptically as James practically manhandled Riley up over the couch himself. "Isn't that pretty much like that game that we already play where you jump off of a cooler or a couch and-"

"Onto pillow?" Ronan guess as he grabbed Sydney by the back of the shirt and lifted him over the couch with one hand. "Yeah, I wonder where you got _that_ from." He lifted Sydney up until the young boy's face was inches from his and Sydney smiled nervously. "That's what I thought." Ronan dropped him onto the couch cushions before moving the couch back into place. "Seriously guys, I need some relaxation, why don't you go to BTR's suite and hang out there."

"Because mom is asleep," Kendall replied as he jumped off of the couch, making a small thud as his socked feet hit the floor. "And you _don't_ want to wake up my mom when she's sleeping."

"So you decide to wake me up instead?" Ronan stated as he flopped down onto the couch, running both of his hands over his face.

"Exactly."

Ronan smiled. _I think I now know why Gustavo gets annoyed of them so easily. They do things to annoy you, but they're so charismatic you can't help but like them anyway. _Behind his closed lids, he rolled his eyes. _Not like he would admit it anyway._

He wasn't sure how long he had fallen asleep, heck, he didn't even know that he had fallen asleep in the first place. But he had woken up (maybe it was intuition, maybe it was his over-protectiveness, maybe it was because he was going to need to know the information later) but he woke up just as Carlos was finishing answering a question.

He opened his eyes a little bit and saw that BTR, DE, and Katie were sprawled out on the ground, playing some sort of a card game. Sydney was sitting off to the side, also scribbling in a notebook, but he had a deck of cards as well. If Ronan had to guess, Sydney was probably writing down bits of conversation to try and use in a song. Either that or he had an idea for another invention. You could never tell with him. But the way that he was constantly looking at his watch didn't sit well with Ronan.

He eyes slowly moved over to James as he opened his mouth to ask a question.

"Ok, my turn," he licked his lips and tilted his head back to think for a minute. "Here's a question for you girls," James said as he put his hand of cards down on the floor and leaned back, crossing his arms over his chest. "What do you look for in a guy?" Kendall, Logan, and Carlos all looked up, interested in the answer.

"Why does that matter?" Rhuben asked, wrinkling her nose. "You don't have a chance anyway, because of that rule."

Ronan snorted loudly. As soon as Robert Jackson had agreed to work with Gustavo, the 'no romantic entanglements' rule came up so neither the guys or the girls of either band could date. If they were going to be co-workers, they didn't want anything to get in the way of that, especially not rumors that their dating would only be to improve their career. _I may not have been a teenager in a long time, but even __I __can see right through that question._ He didn't say anything though; it wasn't any of his business until one of his kids came and talked to him about it, so he may as well act as if nothing was going on.

Riley only had to think for a second before she answered James' question. "Typically the kind of guy that I'm into is one that can challenge me," she stated, seeming to look over James' head and out the window rather than at him. "Like, he can tell that my aggressiveness isn't really something you should take seriously, and doesn't get offended by it and that he can take it in stride. Sure, I want the guy that's sweet, nice, smart, has a good sense of humor, cares about others, had a good sense of loyalty," she gave a one-armed shrug. "What girl doesn't? But I also want him to make me think differently and that can be confident." Her upper lip curled slightly. "I guess if he's kind of arrogant that's fine too."

"I didn't want to say anything," Noah spoke up. "But you _do_ tend to go for guys that are kind of arrogant, Riles." He paused. "And it usually ends badly."

"Huh," Riley looked thoughtful. "Well then I may have set myself up for failure on those." She turned to her brother, now looking annoyed. "And not all of them have, two have ended fine, thank you very much."

"Yeah, yeah," James waved his hand impatiently and turned to Rhuben, who was tapping her chin with her fingers. "What about you?"

"Uh," Rhuben shrugged. "I don't know, I guess I'm kind of old-fashioned. I want basically what every girl wants. I want a guy that would take care of me, will make sure that I'm doing ok. But he has to be able to do his own thing, and be somewhat fit." She sighed. "All in all, I just want someone that cares." Her upper lip curled. "But there's no one like that around anymore."

"Yeah there are," Logan replied, looking a little offended. "There are plenty of guys out in the world like that."

"I haven't met any," Rhuben snorted.

"Maybe you have," Logan pressed. "Who knows," he gave a soft smile and a shrug. "He may be closer to you than you think."

"I'm not that lucky,"

"Someone get the door," Ronan stated, his eyes still closed as there was a series of knocks on the door to the hotel suite. "And don't ask me to do it," he stated after a second of silence. "I'm sleeping." With that, he turned onto his side and moved his hands up under his cheek as a pillow.

Distantly, he heard the sound of someone getting up and walking over to the front door. James then asked Katie the same question, what did she look for in a guy. Ronan could practically see the grin on his face as he asked the question and as Katie was about to reply, the door opened and he heard a loud shriek before loud, excited, chatter.

Groaning, Ronan opened his eyes and lifted himself into a sitting position to see Dak Zevon, Wally 'WayneWayne' Dooley, Jo Taylor, Stephanie King, and Camille Roberts barreled through the front door to greet their friends. He locked eyes with Rhuben and she shrugged. He then followed her gaze across the room and noticed that Riley looked a little bit more than concerned, she looked mad that they were there. He shook his head as the look disappeared as she was enveloped in a hug by Jo.

"What are you guys doing here?" Kendall asked as he clasped WayneWayne's offered hand in his and moved forward, slapping him on the back in greeting. "I thought you weren't coming until later."

"You don't like surprises do you?" Camille asked with a grin as she moved to give him a hug. "We came early to hang out."

"And by hang out you mean that you're going to drag us," Katie motioned to herself, Riley, and Rhuben. "To your hotel room so we can talk without these idiots," she motioned to the guys. "Listening?" Jo, Camille, and Stephanie nodded. "That's what I thought."

"Good," Ronan slowly climbed off of the couch, stretching his back muscles as he did so. "With you girls gone, I can finally get some sleep." He patted Patrick on the head as he walked by him. "Good night."

"Good night, old timer." Patrick joked back, slapping Ronan on the back as he went by.

Ronan let out a chuckle as he entered his room. "I'll get him back for that one later." He went over to his bed and flopped down onto the bed, falling into a restless slumber.

* * *

><p>"Katie, you're being really quiet." Riley remarked as she sat down on one of the beds in the hotel room Jo, Camille, and Stephanie were sharing, bringing her legs up to her chest. "Like, you didn't say much when we were hanging out in our suite."<p>

Katie just shrugged, adding onto Riley's suspicion. "I guess I'm just tired." She replied unconvincingly. "But I can't really go to sleep without Kendall singing me to sleep and he's probably going to be up for hours, so what's the point."

None of the girls bought that, but they didn't really want to say anything. When Katie put her mind to something, there was no way that you were going to change it. "Are you sure you're ok?" Stephanie walked over and pressed a hand to her forehead. "You're not sick are you?"

"I'm fine," Katie pushed Stephanie's hand away and made space on the bed so all of the girls could fit. "So what's going on? I thought that you couldn't come until the next show."

"We couldn't," Jo agreed, shaking her head. She then reached up and absentmindedly started to run her hand through her blonde tresses. "We had so much work to do at the PalmWoods school and then with our own careers. But when we found out that you guys were going to be in San Diego for a few days to promote your albums and everything, we thought that we would come by early so we could get some time to hang out before the next show and before we had to go back."

Rhuben nodded quietly, listening to the explanation. Once she was sure that Jo was done, she took a short breath and looked her in the eye. "Ok," Rhuben crossed her arms over her chest as she leaned back against the pillows. "What's going on? Why do you guys look like you've just seen a ghost?"

"What do you mean?" Stephanie tried to widen her eyes in innocence. "Nothing's going on, we're just happy to see you, and we're tired." She then gave a wry smile. "And if there's anything that has to do with ghosts, you know that I would find out about it first."

"That's true." Katie remarked and snickered when she thought back to the prank that Stephanie had played on the guys and everyone at the PalmWoods when she had first arrived. She basically scared everyone to death just to make a low (aka no budget) horror film.

"Right, so the fact that you're shaking like jelly is nothing," Katie stated, nodding towards Camille's hands that were shaking slightly.

"You're exaggerating," Jo commented, rolling her eyes. But then her amused look faded and she bit her lower lips, twisting her hands together. "Well, we're kind of…_worried_-"

"I think _freaked out_ is a better term to put there." Katie interrupted skeptically. "You practically flattened Rhubes when you were coming into their suite."

Jo made a face at her before looking over at Camille and Stephanie, and then sighed heavily, her shoulders slumping. "We're worried because we've been getting death threats, saying that if we continued to hang around you guys," she looked at Riley and Rhuben. "Or your brothers," and then she looked over at Katie. "Or Big Time Rush, then we would be killed." As she said this, Camille and Stephanie pulled sheets of paper out of their pockets and handed it over to the girls to read.

Kati picked one up and read it, her eyes quickly moving over the paper, Riley and Rhuben leaned together to read the other one: _For your own protection, it would be wise to stay away from Big Time Rush and the DarkElements. If you don't, we won't be held accountable for our actions, and you could end up in the crossfire. And we wouldn't want that to happen, now would we?_

Katie laughed out loud. "I'm sorry," she apologized after a moment. "But this is really funny."

"T_hat's_ what you're worried about?" Riley placed the letter down onto the bed. She raised an eyebrow and then started to golf-clap. "Well congratulations, _you_ just passed the test, this means that people actually consider you to be celebrities right now!" She stopped clapping and lowered her hands to her lap. "But seriously, the novelty wears off fast; it's not even really worth it."

"How can you be so calm about this?" Camille demanded, her brown eyes widening as she gazed down at the sheet of paper in her hand. "Someone actually hand-wrote this and sent it _to my apartment_ they know where I live." She then crumpled it up in her fist and tossed it across the room before bringing her arms up around her knees. "Excuse me if I'm a little concerned."

"Yeah, but you're being concerned over nothing." Rhuben said. She had been quiet for a few moments, listening to each girl as they expressed their concern about the letters. "This," She shook the paper above her head before slapping it onto the bedspread. "Is a joke."

"Exactly," Riley agreed, nodding. She pulled her hair from her face and cracked her knuckles before tilting her head to the side. "The fact that they're handwritten means nothing really; they're just trying to scare you. It happened a lot a while ago, but the death threats are now typically being put on the internet. Check your ScuttleButt and your MyFace, I'm sure if you got some in the mail to your apartment, it was a mix-up with your PO Boxes." She pressed her lips together. "It's nothing to worry about."

Camille let out another sigh as she looked at Jo and Stephanie. They didn't get it; they didn't know how scared she felt when she first read the note. Sure, the fact that she has watched too many horror films in her life and that she was in her apartment alone could have raised her fear. But there was something about it that caused her to be worried and immediately show it to the other two girls, who said that they had gotten it too.

_But they've been in the music industry for a long time and has even, in some cases, stared death in the face, so maybe they're right. Maybe there really __is__ nothing to worry about. _"If you're sure." Camille replied after a moment.

"I am." Riley replied firmly.

* * *

><p>"Am I living a song right now?" Logan asked, looking over his shoulder and around him, as if expecting people to jump out and burst into song. He had only spoken after the girls had left and Ronan had gone back into his room, closing the door behind him so he could try and get some sleep.<p>

"What are you talking about?" WayneWayne snorted, shuffling the cards in his hand and dealing them out around the table to him and his friends. "Although, before you tell me, I'm sure there's some sort of impassioned rant about homework or something is going to come flying out of your mouth."

"Haha." Logan rolled his eyes.

"You do kind of do that though," Carlos stated slowly, tapping his cards against the palm of his hand. He never wanted to make anyone upset, so he usually tried to find the nicest way possible to avert the anger and hurt that was bound to come his way. "I mean, even if we're not talking about anything math related, you somehow bring it back to math."

"Well, obviously this conversation has something to do with girls," Kendall stated as he looked at his cards, making a face as he stared at them. "Which is something that I can handle talking about, so what's up Logie?"

"You guys have heard of the Vertical Horizon song, _Everything You Want_, right?" Logan asked and then licked his lips as the others nodded. "That's _exactly _the song that I think that I'm living. I mean," he started to count on his fingers. "I'm always there for Bella when she needs help, I always tell her everything that she, or any girl for that matter, would want to hear, but I actually mean it. I'm her type; I know that for sure due to her track record, and _nothing_!"

"So," James waved a hand in the air, seemingly impatient. "Why don't you tell her how you feel?"

"If she's not completely blind, she knows how he feels," Dak commented, leaning back in his chair. "Anyone that just _looks_ at him can see that he looks at her differently than he looks at Riles." He thought for a moment. "The way I see it, there's three reasons as to why nothing's going on. She could either know that you like her but is too scared to do anything about it because her father has just been sent to jail and she's just been adopted-"

"But I was there for her through that too!" Logan protested. "I mean, I don't know many guys that would willingly try and help their friend get through all of the hardships that they've gone through." He ignored the glares that Kendall, James, and Carlos sent his way. "You guys don't count."

"She knows that you like her and feels the same way but doesn't want to do anything about it due to the fact that you could ruin your friendship with each other," Dak continued, as if Logan hadn't said anything. "Or she just doesn't know that you like her. And I don't believe that the last one is an option."

"Basically what Dak is trying to say in the _least_ subtle way possible is, Grow a pair and tell her how you feel, and see what happens." WayneWayne suggested, as blunt as ever. "Besides," he shrugged. "What's the worst that could happen?"

Carlos suddenly let out a loud gasp and slapped his hand over his mouth. "I thought we said that we would _never_ say that phrase again!" He stated in a harsh whisper as WayneWayne and Dak burst out into hysterical laughter. "Remember what happened the _last_ time that one of us said that?" He pointed a finger at James. "His leg hair didn't grow back for three weeks."

WayneWayne made a face. "Seriously, what do you guys _do_ when we're not around?"

"Yeah," Dak chimed in. "And why don't you invite us to do it with you?"

"Ok, may I interject in this conversation?" Sydney asked after a minute, putting his notebook aside as he closed it, slapping the pen onto the top. "I mean, it's my sisters you're talking about, so I think I should have some say in this."

"Go ahead," WayneWayne grinned. "I would love to hear what the little genius has to say about this."

"Thanks," Sydney dead-panned. "Anyway, if you think of it this way," he looked at Logan. "You, obviously," he added with an eye-roll. "Are attracted to Rhu. And I can see the problem there, you don't want to ruin the best-friend friendship thing, blah, blah, blah," he opened and closed his hands as if they were mouths. "But have you thought about why whenever we cover one of your guys' songs each of us specifically coves one of you? Me doing Carlos' part, Patrick and Noah usually doing James, and Riley and Rhuben doing Kendall and Logan's respectively." Beside him, Patrick nodded in agreement. "It's because, while we were basically assigned to each of you guys, it's also because our vocal ranges are similar and we can match each other's voices almost perfectly."

"Really?" Kendall looked a little disappointed. "I thought it was another reason than that."

"You've obviously missed his point," Patrick muttered under his breath. Noah, on the other hand, decided to help them out.

"Oh, there's another reason," Noah commented as he finally looked up from his hand of cards. "He just didn't say it out loud."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: This chapter, I wanted to show Ronan's more serious side, because even though he is really outgoing and very humorous and so laid back, there are a lot of things about him that we haven't showed, and I hope that I did it well here. Plus, I decided to make Carlos a more prominent character than I have made him before, but while the story focuses on the four guys, it still has Logan and Kendall as the main, **_**main**_** focus.**

**So if you guys have any guesses, please send it in either a PM or an e-mail, because I wouldn't want you to guess correctly and have it be in the reviews when everyone else is still trying to figure it out. Oh and I take constructive criticism so PLEASE recommend to your friends/siblings/family that has accounts so I know what they think. I also go back and re-write chapters, I haven't done it with the last one because I think its fine the way it is, but the first four chapters, I have.**

**Also, what do you guys think about Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, and WayneWayne's part of this chapter. I really wanted to show how guys can be guys, somewhat crude, immature, and very boyish. So that's why I made them have a semi-serious, semi-humorous conversation between them. Plus, I hope I kept them in character, I'm not sure about Dak and WayneWayne, since we have only had two/three episodes with them that we haven't gotten their personalities at all. (Plus, I feel that WayneWayne would be a really easy going guy when he's not pretending to be a bad boy. And Dak, I feel that he would be somewhat like James, but not **_**nearly**_** as narcissistic.) **

**As for the girls, I wanted to have something that was very realistic in Hollywood and to have a reason for them to come by, and of course the girls would be more worried about it than the guys, but still. (I'm not sure if I'm going to have Lizzie in this or not, if so, I'll re-edit the chapter later.)**

**I have a ****lot**** of good idea with this story as well as to what I have planned to happen with Kiley and Lella. The thing that I have planned with Kiley is based on events that have happened to me in real life, although a few things have been changed and what I have planned with Lella has happened to a friend of mine, with a few things changed. So I hope to make it very authentic for you.**

**Thanks to **_MysticMelody101, Rayna, Rage-Against-Time, Jenna, shotinthedark, LogieLuvr914, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, DarkElement-Jackson-Fan, BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan, youspinmelikearecord, and Got2LiveItBigTime_** for reviewing. I'll update again soon.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	7. Paper Walls

**.:Chapter Seven – Paper Walls:.**

* * *

><p>Patrick awoke to being hit in the face by something hard. His eyes flew open and he started to thrash around, only relaxing when he saw Ronan standing above him, a pillow in his hands.<p>

"That's what you get for calling me an old-timer," He stated.

"If that's really the best that you can do, then you're really slipping." Patrick said as he looked back at him.

"I didn't say that was _all_ I was going to do." Ronan replied.

"Ha," Patrick rolled his eyes and then leaned over and grabbed his glasses off of the nightstand and slid them onto his face to look at his watch. "Is there any particular reason why you're getting me up this early?" He added when he noticed that it was only 6:30 in the morning. "I feel stuffed." Ronan raised an eyebrow. "Tired." He re-iterated.

"You have to go to the gym, that's why," Ronan stated as he placed his hands on his hips. "Day off or not, you need to stay in shape." He then gave a childish grin. "Besides, I'm not the one that was up until three o'clock."

Patrick pulled himself up into a sitting position and looked around the room. Noah's and Sydney's beds were empty, and he could hear hushed voices in the sitting area of the suite. Once again, he was the last one to get up. He let out a yawn and rubbed his hands over his face before sliding out of bed. Brushing by Ronan, he walked over to his band pulled out a wife-beater, a pair of shorts, and a pair of running shoes. He quickly changed into them out of his pajamas and walked into the sitting area, where his siblings were watching TV.

"Finally," Sydney stood up and closed his laptop, setting it aside on the couch. "I was wondering when you would wake up." Patrick shot him an annoyed look, he didn't understand how all of his siblings could be so wide awake when they woke up, yet he would still be exhausted. "We just have to get the guys and we can go down to the gym."

"Whatever floats your boat," Patrick murmured, stifling another yawn. He followed his siblings out of the room, muttering a 'goodbye' to Ronan as they went. As they walked to the elevator, he suddenly remembered something. "Oh, Rhu, when did you want us to make that delivery for yo-"

"Shhhh!" Riley, Rhuben, and Sydney hissed as Noah turned and slapped a hand over his mouth. Riley looked around before they leaned close to him. "What? Do you want _everyone _in the hotel to hear you?" They started to shuffle down the hallway, dragging Patrick with them.

Patrick pushed Noah's hand away from his mouth. "Sorry," he replied apologetically. "I didn't mean to yell," he then crossed his arms over his chest, and looked at his sisters pointedly. "And you're the ones that said that this was a good idea."

Noah turned to Riley and Rhuben and nodded in agreement. "You _did_ say that." He said, looking like he didn't want to admit it.

Rhuben muttered something under her breath, looking around them. The hallways were empty, for now, but she definitely didn't want anyone to hear their conversation. Patrick could tell just by looking at her, and he had to agree. If anyone knew what they were talking about, or what was really going on, they wouldn't understand and would probably stop talking to them, as well as stop being their friend.

_If they found out, it would be even worse than the guys figuring out about our abuse. _Patrick licked his lips as he waited for Rhuben's answer. _They would definitely freak out even more._

"Ok, we did say that," Rhuben admitted. "And I still believe that it is going to work out the way we want it to." She gave the Jackson-famous one-armed shrug. "Really, it's the only option that we have."

Noah twisted his mouth to the side. "She has a point." He agreed after a minute. "It probably _is_ the only option that we have." Sydney opened his mouth to say something. "At the moment." He added and Sydney closed his mouth again. "But we might want to say something sooner rather than later. If Ronan finds out about this and we didn't tell him first-"

"He won't find out," Riley stated, suddenly looking tired. "We'll tell him before he finds out, but hopefully, we can make this go away before that happens."

"Mhm," Sydney sucked his teeth with his tongue. "You said the same thing about our abuse." His shoulders slumped. "But you knew what you were doing and you were protecting us," he motioned to himself and Patrick and Noah. "And now you're protecting our friends, so I'll do whatever you need me to." He gave a soft smile. "Just like always."

Patrick looked over at Noah, and the two smiled and nodded in agreement.

"Good," Rhuben reached out and gave each of the boys a hug. "Now let's go and get the guys up so we can kick their asses."

Patrick chuckled as he rubbed his hands together, much like an evil villain. "That's my favorite part about going to the gym." He grabbed onto Noah's shoulders and jumped onto his back, causing Noah to let out a soft yelp and quickly grab onto his legs so he wouldn't fall over. "So, I have a workout routine ready to go." He said, makings sure he leaned away from Noah's ear. "We'll start off by lifting weights, especially since we need to see if the guys have improved at all." He noticed the funny look on Riley's face as she pushed the elevator call button. "Yeah, I know." He agreed, causing the others to laugh. "Then we go onto the treadmill and the elliptical, and then finish up with a half hour of an ab workout."

"Sounds good to me." Rhuben agreed as the doors opened and they stepped into the elevator. She gave him a teasing smile. "So how is it that you can come up with good ideas like this, but you can barely count past twenty?"

"Oh, that's funny," Patrick replied, not taking any offense to her dig. "You know, I figured with a personality like that, I'm surprised you don't have a boyfriend." Rhuben stuck her tongue out in reply, and reached out, lightly cuffing him on the back of the head. "I'm only kidding." He added after a moment.

"I know." Rhuben replied with a nod.

The elevator doors opened on the 6th floor and they walked out, heading towards Big Time Rush's hotel suite. Patrick and Noah stood back as Riley knocked on the door, waiting for an answer.

"Do you really think this is a good idea?" Patrick asked Noah, shoving his hands into his pockets and leaning against the wall behind him. He crossed his legs and looked down at his feet as he waited. "This whole thing that we're keeping a secret?"

He turned his head and gauged Noah's facial expression as he thought about it. Even though he was the older twin and had the feeling of protecting him and Sydney, and even his sisters at times (even if they wouldn't allow him to) he still liked getting Noah's opinion on things. It really helped him straighten things out, and it also helped him feel like he had some sort of control in things that he had problems with.

Plus, it was comforting.

"Honestly, I'm not sure," Noah replied after a moment, adopting the same stance that Patrick was standing in. "There are always pros and cons with keeping a secret, and at this point I think it's a good idea. The others wouldn't understand, it was something that we thought we had gotten rid of, and now it's coming back. They haven't had to deal with this before, so they won't know how to deal with it now." He pursed his lips. "Unfortunately, we do."

Patrick slowly nodded. _But is it worth it? Keeping secrets from our friends again, when it hurt them so much the first time?_

"I don't know." Noah spoke out loud, obviously having been able to read his mind.

Patrick scowled and lightly nudged Noah on the arm. "I hate it when you do that."

Noah smiled.

* * *

><p>"Do you have the address?" Noah asked as he and Patrick headed out of their suite and down the hallway.<p>

"Right here," Patrick waved a slip of paper in his hands. "Rhu has the package on the bus, so we just have to find Dylan, ask him to open the bus, and we can send this thing and then meet the others at the boardwalk."

"Cool."

"Hey, where are you guys going?" Patrick made a high-pitched 'eep' sound as he and Noah whirled around to see Katie standing behind them, looking at them curiously. He quickly shoved the sheet of paper into Noah's chest, Noah pushed it back and he shoved it into his pocket. "What's that?" she asked, noticing the small exchange.

"What's what?" Patrick balked, different thoughts rapidly flying through his head. Katie's eyes lowered to his pocket and he pulled his hand and the paper back out. "Oh, you mean _this_." His voice cracked on the last word, like it usually did when he was nervous. "I'm not sure if you're aware of this, but people call these things _paper_."

Beside him, Noah tilted his head back and looked at the ceiling, slapping his hands over his face as Katie raised an eyebrow. Noah then lowered his hands and his face before turning to Patrick, his lips pressed together in a thin line. "This is why I call you an embarrassment, just so you know." Patrick shrugged as Noah turned back to Katie. "Uh, this is an address that Rhu wrote down for us. She wanted us to deliver a package to…a friend of ours for her."

"So why couldn't she do it?" Katie asked, now looking confused. "I mean, we have the day off."

"That's a good question," Noah interrupted. "One I don't have time to answer," he started to slowly back away from her. "Because we have to get it sent out before the post office closes, so…"

"Do you mind if I come?" Katie asked, her eyes darting back and forth between the twin boys, as if trying to read their minds. "I don't really have anything to do either."

Patrick turned and looked at Noah, and the two looked at each other for a moment, having a silent conversation. Finally, Noah turned his eyes towards the ceiling, and then lowered them again, locking them with Patrick's. He nodded and Patrick nodded back before turning back to Katie.

_I hope you're right about this, Buddy. _Patrick gave a smile. "Why not? The more the _merrier_, right?" He pointed over his shoulder. "We just have to get onto the bus to get a _package_ first." He cleared his throat, his cheeks flushing as Katie giggled at him. _You'd figure I would have grown out of this cracking voice thing by now. _He darted his eyes to Katie as they waited for her to catch up to them before they continued. _I hope she doesn't think I'm some sort of loser because of that._

"So, what's up with your voice?" Katie asked as the three continue down the hallway. Her eyes flashed with amusement and she gave him a teasing smile. "Can't figure out if you want it to be high or low, yet?"

Noah flashed Patrick a smirk and Patrick narrowed his eyes at him in reply before turning his attention back to Katie. "My voice cracks when I'm nervous." He shrugged. "What can I say? I get nerves at weird times before shows."

"But your next show isn't for two day-"

"We should be really go and find Dylan," Noah swiftly interrupted Katie. "If we find him _after_ he's had breakfast, we'll have a better chance of him letting us on the bus."

"So you've done this before?" Katie asked, looking interested.

"Oh yeah," Noah waved a hand, sounding blasé. "Every now and then we find something we want to send to a friend back home or something, and Dylan is the only one that's willing to help us do it. So we go straight to him." He gave a smile. "You should see it when our backup dancers and our backup band are around, with so many things that we're trying to mail out at once…?" he whistled as he shook his head.

"Ok then," Katie finally smiled. "Let's go!"

Patrick, Noah, and Katie hurried around the hotel, looking in every place that they could think of for the bus driver. Finally, they found him outside, walking along the garden that was by the hotel and asked to be let onto the bus.

"Let me guess," Dylan stated with a grin as he rubbed his chin. "You have another package that you want to send off?"

"No, we want to play hide and seek," Patrick replied with an easy going smile. "Yeah, we want to send out a package. Could you let us onto the bus so we can get it? Oh and do you know where the nearest post office is?"

"No problem," Dylan agreed, pulling his keys from his pocket. "But what I don't get is why is it that every time you have to send something out, you leave it on the bus?" He started to walk with them through the garden and out to the bus. "Is there something in them you don't want people to see?"

"Not so much," Noah replied, brushing his hair out of his face, quickly glancing at Katie. "We just don't want things to get broken. Then again, I don't know why we keep it on the bus either, Carlos seems to run around breaking everything in sight."

"You got that right," Katie agreed. She turned to Dylan. She didn't really know him; from what she could understand and by how well he knew the Jacksons, he was the only bus driver that they had ever had. But from the past couple of days that she had been on the bus with him, he was already starting to become a part of their large, extended "BTR-DE-Family" as Sydney dubbed it. "I was on my laptop at the apartment back at the PalmWoods, and next thing I know, Carlos somehow manages to blow up the microwave when he was heating up leftover mashed potatoes."

Dylan tossed his head back and laughed as they approached the bus. "Sounds like him from what I've seen so far." They reached the bus and he pulled out the keys and tossed them to Patrick. "Just lock up the bus and bring the keys back when you're done." He then gave the directions to the post office and walked off.

"Thank You," Noah gave a short wave and the three climbed onto the bus.

Patrick looked over at Noah and widened his eyes slightly, tilting his head back towards the beds and Noah nodded before quickly going off. Patrick waited at the front of the bus, sitting down in the driver's seat and looked out the front window, his eyes scanning the windows of the rooms of the hotel. He wasn't looking for anything; really, he just wanted to relax for once in his life. He let out a sigh as he slid down in the seat, watching as a small family went into the hotel.

_They all look so happy. _

He hardly remembered when his life was like that, before his parents died. He was 6 years old and all he remembered was that he followed his older siblings around, he was with Noah all the time, and he liked to play with Sydney, who was 1 at the time. Most of his memories from when he was that young were blocked out, and it was normal, at least that's what his psychiatrist said. Having been abused for almost 10 years of his life, it was very easy to forget what life was like before pain was the new normal. But now, having friends that cared about him was the normal and here he was, going behind their backs and keeping something else from them.

"_Mhm," Sydney sucked his teeth with his tongue. "You said the same thing about our abuse." His shoulders slumped. "But you knew what you were doing and you were protecting us," he motioned to himself and Patrick and Noah. "And now you're protecting our friends, so I'll do whatever you need me to." He gave a soft smile. "Just like always."_

Patrick pursed his lips, still staring out the window. _But when is the time that you stop protecting them yourself and go to the police?_

"Hello?" Katie waved a hand in front of Patrick's face, startling to badly that he jumped and accidentally pressed down on the horn of the bus. "Sorry," Katie giggled at his reaction. She pulled her hair out of her face as her laughter subsided. "I didn't mean to scare you," she studied him. "You look so intense. What are you thinking about?"

"Not much," Patrick muttered in reply. He noticed Katie's hurt expression but didn't say anything more. The three of them (him, Katie, and Noah) because they were two/three years younger than everyone else, but still older than Sydney, they has easily became their own little group of friends and hung out a lot. Usually Patrick and Noah talked to her about whatever was bothering them, but now he knew that that wasn't an option. "Just thinking." He then raised an eyebrow. "You've been quieter than usual."

"I can say the same to you." Katie replied, with a hint of coolness to her tone.

"Careful," Patrick replied lazily. "With that much ice in your tone, you could cause the next ice age." He looked up as Noah headed to the front of the bus, a large brown cardboard box in his hands.

"Got it," he said, lightly lifting the box. "Let's get going so we can meet the others at the boardwalk."

"So what's in it?" Katie took the box from Noah's hands and started to shake it. She then smiled evilly and started to move her hand to the top of the box. "You don't think that she will mind if we take a peek do you?"

"I wouldn't do that," Noah said as he took the box back from her, moving back so Patrick had room to get out of the driver's seat. "She can always tell if you invade on her privacy," his eyes shifted back and forth. "Especially when it comes to her mail."

"You're no fun," Katie pouted as they stepped off of the bus. She shielded her face from the sun as Patrick locked up the bus again. "So how are we going to get to the post office from here? Is it far?"

"Nah, it's just in walking distance." Patrick turned and pointed in the direction that they were going to go and they started walking in silence.

Much like when he was back in LA, Patrick couldn't help but feel that he was being watched and followed. He had never been able to shake that feeling, especially not after his dad had screamed at his kids as he was being taken away that he would come back for them. The man was insane and greedy and had kept every promise to torture his kids for years, so why wouldn't he keep that one? For days, Ronan had even woken up with one or all five of them in his bed, terrified at every slight sound of the night, so it was worse when they were out in the open, walking around somewhere.

_That's why you never really see one of us without the others, _Patrick thought as they stopped at a crosswalk. _Me and Noah, usually Riley and Rhuben, and Sydney, whomever he's with. I know the others have noticed it, hopefully they don't ask about it anytime soon. It would be embarrassing if they knew how freaked we are. Even if we are getting better at it._

As they moved along with the crowd when the light signaled they could cross the street, Patrick noticed a girl in a hood walking close behind them. He didn't say anything about it until they turned a corner a few blocks down. At that point, he was sure that she was following them.

"No-"

"I noticed," Noah said out of the side of his mouth. He glanced back over his shoulder before turning back and grabbing one of Katie's free hands. "Come on, I'll race you there!"

"What's your rush?" Katie pulled her hand from his, although a light blush crept up her cheeks. "Can't we look at some of the stores before we get there?"

"Oh, they're all the same," he started to speed up, effectively increasing the pace of all three friends. "Surf shops, surf shops, surf shops, and they sell basically the same things." He moved behind her and started to push on her back, after handing the package over to Patrick. "Besides, we don't want to be late meeting the others, and we don't know how long of a line there'll be at the Post Office."

"Alright," Katie planted her feet on the ground and placed her hands on her hips, glaring at the two boys. "What's going on?"

"_Nothing_," Patrick mentally cursed himself for his voice cracking again. He was starting to sweat and it wasn't making him feel any beater. His heart was pounding and he was itching to keep going, but it looked like Katie wasn't going to be moving anytime soon. "What makes you think that-"

"Because you have that look on your face that you're hiding something," she crossed her arms over her chest. "Just like you did when we first met." She added earnestly. "You can tell me." She looked back and forth between the twin boys.

Noah's eyes, which were wide, met Patrick's in a panic. What were they going to do?

"Hey." Patrick let out a loud shriek as he turned around to see Austen standing behind him, looking at the three of them oddly. "A little high-strung there?"

"You again?" Katie blurted. "What are you doing here?"

Austen turned his eyes to Katie, looking a little bit annoyed. "I _live_ here." He replied. "In San Diego. Just up the street, actually." He then shook his head. "And what is it with you guys thinking I'm stalking you? It's like I said to your brother and his friends, I'm a fan, and I want to go to as many shows as possible."

"He's right," Noah concurred, his accent moving into his voice (much like it did when he was mad, doing interviews, or running into fans). "We were on a festival tour last year, back home, and there were these three girls that went to _every_ show that we did." He raised and lowered one shoulder. "I think that they were really wealthy, but it's like, a thing with fans to brag about how man shows they went to."

"Exactly," Austen agreed. "But I'm not a bragger." He changed the subject. "I'm surprised all of your friends aren't here with you? I thought you traveled in a pack or something." He let out a light chuckle.

"We're just hanging out," Patrick replied. "We're going to hang with them later," he tucked the package under his arm and started to walk around Austen. "In fact, we were just on our way to the post office before meeting up with our friends, so…"

"Sorry," Austen smiled. "I won't take anymore of your time," he reached out a hand towards Patrick. "It was nice to see you all again,"

"No worries," Patrick replied taking Austen's hand in his and moved forward, using his free hand to slap Austen on the back. "You too."

"I'm going to be at your guys' show in Sacramento in a couple of days," Austen added as he gave Noah the same 'hug' that he gave to Patrick. "But that's the last one that my parents could afford, but I expect it to be a good show." He then looked at Katie and gave her a smile and a nod before walking around them and walking down the street.

"Ok, that guy is weird." Katie said. "Like, majorly weird. Weirder than the guys." She added and then rolled her eyes. "And that's saying something."

"You got that right." Noah agreed.

"So, let's get this thing, mailed." Patrick said as he shoved his free hand into his pocket. Katie nodded and the three of them walked to the post office. She and Noah waited as Patrick hurried inside. "Yo dude," he called to the man behind the counter. "I need to send this out." He thrust the package to him.

"Well, let's just see how much this will cost," the man replied as he took it. He placed it on the counter and turned to his computer. "Are there any liquids in here?"

"No," Patrick shook his head.

"Any aerosols?"

"No."

"Perishables?"

"_No."_

"Flammable-"

"Oh for god's sake!" Patrick threw his hands into the air. "No! There is _nothing_ in there that can cause any problems!" He picked up the box and started to shake it around. "See? Nothing! Packing peanuts, and the gift for my Aunt, which is a wooden jewelry box, alright?" He placed the box back down onto the counter. "Now if you could just send this _goddamn_ thing out, I can go and meet my friends at the boardwalk. _Got that?_"

"Sorry sir, those are the questions that I'm supposed to ask, for my job." The man replied with a smile and a slight twitch in the corner of his mouth.

Patrick immediately felt bad. He hadn't meant to snap at the man, he was just doing his job. But here he was, already having a huge adrenaline rush from thinking someone was following them, being paranoid in thinking that his father was going to hunt him down, and now having to keep all of his secrets straight. It was enough to make anyone go crazy.

"Sorry dude," he said.

"That'll be $3.50." The man muttered, holding out his hand.

Patrick nodded and handed him a five dollar bill, waiting for his change. He gave a short wave to the man, giving an apology before turning and walking out the door. "Alright," Patrick finally grinned as he walked over to Noah and Katie. "Let's get to the boardwalk."

* * *

><p>"You know, you didn't have to do that," Candy snapped as she followed Austen into his house, her hands clenched into fists. "I wasn't going to say anything to them. I wasn't even following them that closely." She glared at Austen's back as he closed the front door.<p>

"Hey," He turned to her, holding up his index finger to her. "I helped you get away from them before you did something stupid." Austen said sharply. He held his arms out, making the formation of a 'T' before slapping them back down to his sides. "What more do you want?"

Candy glared at him a few seconds more before her angry demeanor started to melt away. "Actually…" Candy gave a coy smile as she walked over to him. It took her a few steps to come toe to toe with him. "I want _plenty_ more."

Austen's eyebrow twitched as he crossed his arms over his chest, looking interested. He looked down at the girl in front of him. Finally, he uncrossed his arms. "Oh?" he slid his arms around her. "So just how long will it take to satisfy you?"

"All night." Candy purred, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Damn," Austen clicked his tongue, feigning annoyance. "And it's still only daytime," he murmured, lowering his head to hers. "I can see there's an awful lot of work ahead of me."

"You bet."

After a few minutes of long, slow, hot kisses, Candy's head was reeling and her legs were shaky. Breathing hard and feeling mindless, she leaned against him while he leaned back against the wall. "You look so good in halter tops," he whispered, his rapid breaths mingling with hers. "Now take it off." He ordered.

"Don't be so lazy," Candy whispered back. "_You_ take it off."

"Mmmm," He started running his hands up and down her body, stroking her legs as he reached her shorts. She caressed his hair and then started unbuttoning his shirt.

Then the phone rang.

They both stiffened in surprise for a moment, since the phone ringing on the wall was so close to them, and then they went back to kissing feverishly. By the third ring, though, Candy had a feeling who might be calling. So she turned a little in Austen's arms, reaching for the nearby phone.

Austen pulled her hand back to his body. "Ignore it," he whispered.

"No…" Candy moaned a little when he kissed her again. "Someone has to…to…" the phone kept ringing. "This'll just take-"

"Not now." He tugged at the waistband of her shorts.

"It might be one of the guys," She said, evading another head-spinning kiss. "It's important."

"So is this." Austen kissed her neck and nuzzled her brightly colored hair. When Candy reached for the phone again, she accidentally knocked the receiver off the wall and sent it clattering to the floor. He sighed and leaned his head against the wall and let her go.

"This will be quick," Candy promised breathlessly, stopping down to pick up the phone.

"Yes, it will." He vowed, sliding his arm around here from behind as she put the receiver to her ear. Austen kissed Candy's neck while she said, "Hello?" He nibbled on her earlobe and slid his hand slowly across her stomach.

"What?" Candy pushed herself a full arm's length away from Austen's grasp with a hand on his chest. "You sure?" Austen immediately snapped to focus, straightening his shirt as Candy turned to him, the phone still at her ear. "Yeah, he's right here, we're on our way."

"How many times have I told them _not_ to call my house?" Austen snapped, yanking the phone from her hand and slammed it onto the receiver. "Why do we even have a phone by the front door?" He turned back to her. "Well, what is it?"

"That was Braden," Candy replied, her eyes flashing with wild excitement. "They got a lead to where they're going to be tonight."

Austen reached over and grabbed a set of keys off of the small table by the front door. "Let's roll."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I updated this really fast, I just had a good idea for it. ^-^**

**So I had mentioned in an earlier chapter that Rhuben had a delivery for Patrick to do and I showed it here. Plus, I wanted to show a bit more of how the Jacksons are dealing with this secret so close after the last one they had. And of course I needed to show some PatKatNo (aka PatrickxKatiexNoah). So, in case people are confused as to why Noah didn't talk a lot in this chapter, although he was there; He, for the most part, doesn't seem the need to speak, unless he's with his siblings (because he's completely comfortable around them) or unless he feels like what he has to say is absolutely important.**

**If you haven't read on twitter, some people have been asking if Dak and Rhuben and WayneWayne and Riley have dated before in this story. At this point it could either way, but it's up to you to decide because I like writing stories for me as well as putting in things that my readers would like to see, if they have dated before, it would be seen in flashbacks and mentions from other people. **

**But at the same time, I don't see how they could have dated them, realistically. If they didn't trust BTR enough to tell them that they were being abused/comfortable around them, I don't see how they could have dated Dak and WayneWayne at that time. Personally, I see that they could only date the two of them before Kendall and Logan (since this is only two months after they had been adopted, the trial hasn't happened yet) is if it was a while after they had been adopted. But that's just me.**

**And yes, another chapter where Austen appears seemingly out of nowhere. What I'm wondering though is do you guys like him as a character, even though he's creepy? I purposely wrote him to be that way, but I wonder what you guys also think of him.**

**Oh and how are you guys feeling with the tension of the story? Because the chapters of the story are getting longer, the action as well as slowly figuring out what is really going on with Riley and Rhuben will start up in the next chapter, although I hope it will still be a surprise to you all when I finally reveal it. This story isn't going to be longer than 40 chapters, although I haven't completely decided how long to make it yet.**

**Thanks to **_Jenna, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, DarkElement-Jackson-Fan, shotinthedark, Rage-Against-Time, Rayna, LogieLuvr914, BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan, Got2LiveItBigTime, Magical-Memories101, youspinmelikearecord, and BigTimeFan-'10 _**for reviewing.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	8. The World Around You

**.:Chapter Eight – The World Around You:.**

**This chapter is in third person omniscient POV, so I can show a lot of different scenes, instead of trying to work it around one person, because this is a VERY important chapter. It may seem like a filler, and I guess it kind of is, but it's still needed. After this chapter I decided to go back to most BTR's and Katie's POVs because I think it made the story flow better as well as it keeping the mystery there.**

**Also, long chapters start now. Probably not as long as this one, though.**

* * *

><p>"Hey guys," James walked over to Gustavo, Mrs. Knight, Kelly, and Ronan, who were eating breakfast in the hotel's dining room and talking quietly. They all looked up and gave bright smiles, minus Gustavo who just grunted a greeting when he spotted him. "We're going on a bike ride to see the sites, do you want to come?"<p>

"And risk killing myself by actually exercising?" Gustavo chuckled. "You're dreaming." He forked the last spoonful of hash browns into his mouth. "Yum," he grabbed a napkin and dabbed at his mouth with it. "I wonder if there's anymore," he looked over his shoulder towards the buffet.

"Gustavo, you took the whole pan and dumped it onto your plate," Kelly reminded him. "There _are_ no hash browns left."

"Oh," Gustavo then turned and looked at Ronan's plate. "Hey are you going to ea-"Ronan answered by silently grabbing his plate and dragging it towards him. "It was just a question."

Mrs. Knight chuckled as she turned to James. "Where did you get enough bikes for all of you?" She asked curiously. "I'm sure that you didn't have enough money to get it all done."

"Oh, we didn't," James smiled warmly. "As soon as they found out that I was Brooke Diamond's son, they basically just gave them to us." He then flashed his pearly whites. _And of course I had to mention that Gustavo would probably kill them if they didn't give us the bikes. But that's not __exactly__ a lie._

Mrs. Knight laughed, brushing her auburn hair away from her face. She looked over at the other adults before turning back to James, giving a shrug. "Nah, I think we're ok here. Have fun though." James gave a wave and walked out of the dining area. "Alright," she turned to Ronan. "Why did you bring us down here? You sounded so serious on the phone when you called our rooms."

"Geez," Ronan looked annoyed. "Can't we eat a bit before you decide to jump all over me?" He paused. "And I didn't mean that the way it sounded."

Kelly rolled her eyes as Gustavo laughed, trying not to smile. "We didn't think that until you brought it up." She then turned and stared pointedly at Gustavo. "And we _would_ eat, if Gustavo didn't basically take the whole buffet."

"Hey, you had your change to get it, you just moved too slowly." Gustavo defended himself.

Ronan smiled as he leaned back in his seat, crossing his arms over his chest. Honestly, there were times where he didn't think that he deserved having such good friends. His mother was overbearing, his dad seemed to ride his ass on everything in his life, and his older and younger brothers got on his nerves. They never had a great relationship, which is why Ronan distanced himself from his family the best he could. Besides, he didn't need to hear their constant opinions about having adopted six children. So how did he deserve to have such great friends like Kacy, Kelly, and even Gustavo?

_Man, now I'm starting to think like my kids, I've been around them too much._

"What's with that smile on your face?" Kelly asked, turning back to Ronan.

"Was I smiling? I didn't notice." Ronan looked up.

"Yeah, you were smiling alright," Gustavo peered at Ronan's face. "What? Do you have a girl that you want to tell us about? I hope so, that way you can stop being such a pain in the ass when it comes to how boring you are."

"Bite me." Ronan replied swiftly.

Kelly and Mrs. Knight burst out laughing once more. Mrs. Knight was the first one to recover from her laughing fit, reaching out and placing a hand on Ronan's shoulder, that one movement easily showing her concern for him. _He doesn't look like he's been sleeping much, lately. All of this tour stress must be getting to them. _"What's wrong, Ronan? You've looked better."

"Yeah, you look like you got run over by a truck." Gustavo added, finally sitting up in his seat, looking concerned as well.

"Gustavo, tact!" Kelly hissed.

"Kelly, chill." Gustavo replied.

"No, he's right, I've been better." Ronan sighed and reached out, starting to rip his napkin. "It's really stupid," he warned. "But I often wonder if I actually did the right thing by adopting them? I haven't really done anything that can help, just give them a house and food, I'm not even acting like their dad, I'm more of their friend. And usually, they would tell me everything when I asked them the first time, but now I know they're keeping something from me."

"Ronan, they're teenagers," Mrs. Knight reminded him. "Well, everyone but Sydney that is, so they're bound to be keeping something from you." She gave a fond smile. "But that may be a good thing. More than half of the things that Kendall keeps from me, I would rather not know, because it would cause me so much stress, it's not even funny."

"Plus, you're working on a tour right now," Kelly reminded him. "They want it to be perfect just as much as you do, it might even be nothing. Maybe they're having trouble on a song or are working on a surprise for you."

"That's not it," Ronan snorted. "It's October, my birthday was back in August."

"Hello, it's almost Christmas." Kelly said, shooting him a 'where have you been' look.

Ronan sighed, but didn't say anything. Kelly shook her head as she continued to watch him. She couldn't say that she knew how he felt, she didn't have kids and she didn't have nearly as much responsibility to a record company that he did, hell, she was even a few years younger than him and hadn't experienced things that he had yet. But that didn't mean that she couldn't tell that this was really hurting him. Sure, she had noticed that the Jacksons seemed to be adjusting to their new life kind of slow, but they were always nice to her, so it might just be a shell shock that they were trying to get over. She had so many theories, but was never sure what could be the right answer.

But it's like people said.

Teenagers are the most confusing creatures.

"Yeah, but they never get excited for Christmas." Ronan reminded her. "For obvious reasons." He sat up straight. "Maybe I'm just reading into things too much; maybe they're still trying to adjust."

"That's what I was just thinking." Mrs. Knight agreed. She realized that there was a lack of opinion from Gustavo and turned to him. "Don't you have anything you want to say?"

"Not really," he replied. "We're guys; we don't talk about our feelings."

"Not if we're made of stone." Ronan quipped.

"Watch it, McGuire."

"Don't blow a gasket, Rocque."

"Ugh, you two," Kelly rolled her eyes as she pushed her chair back and got to her feet. "Come on, we need to go over some of the guys' schedules and some stuff for the next few shows coming up." She spoke to Gustavo and Mrs. Knight before turning to Ronan. "Do you need some help with your stuff?"

"Nah," Ronan replied, taking one last sip of his coffee. "I'll just conference call Julius if I get stuck." He said, speaking of eldest son, who was still in school back in his home of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia.

"When's he going to get here?" Mrs. Knight asked. "He should be able to help you with your problems if you need it." Ronan knew that she was speaking of his problems with the Jacksons that he had been expressing before, not about the tour.

"Yeah, hopefully." Ronan laid a tip on the table before following his friends out of the dining hall.

* * *

><p>"Hey Jo, are you ok?" Dak asked as he pumped the brakes on his bike, turning around to face the blonde girl, who was riding behind him.<p>

"I'm fine…" Jo replied as she slowly coasted to a stop, breathing a little heavily. She pushed her helmet up off of her forehead and looked at him. "Why?"

"Because you're rolling back down the hill." Dak replied with an amused twinkle in his eyes as he watched Jo slowly roll backwards from where he was standing, balancing the bike between his legs. He laughed along with BTR, WayneWayne, Camille, Stephanie, and Katie (who were all sitting perfectly fine at the top of the hill) watching as Jo rolled back down, letting out a soft curse as she did so.

James quickly picked up his bike and turned it around, rapping the back of her bike with the back of his, effectively stopping her. "Gotcha." He said with a charming smile. Behind him, Carlos rolled his eyes, although he exchanged a smirk with Stephanie.

"Thanks James," Jo beamed at him, self-consciously pulling her blonde hair away from her face. "I really didn't want to have to bike back up that hill again." She shook her head as she moved closer to her friends. "Who knew that San Diego had hills almost as big as LA?"

"Just be glad that James never suggested we go bike riding back home," WayneWayne reminded her. He lifted his sunglasses and wiped sweat off of his forehead, letting out a sharp breath of air.

"I guess the curse strikes again," Sydney commented, causing Riley, Rhuben, Patrick and Noah to chuckle in amusement. He noticed the curious looks and shrugged, resting his arms on the handlebars in front of him. "This isn't the curse of us being intuitive, perceptive, or anything like that. This is one that a friend from back home said." He frowned, thinking. "If you have the last name of, know, or are related to a Jackson, chances are, you're headed for trouble." He smiled, his dimples appearing in his cheeks, and shrugged. "But we never take it seriously, it's all in fun."

"Well, if it _is_ true, I don't think I want to get too close," WayneWayne stated, holding his hands up defensively. "You might make another hill spring up out of the ground or something."

"What's the matter, _Wally_ you're not getting tired are you?" Kendall asked. He gave an innocent smile when WayneWayne shot a glare his way, knowing that he hated it when he was called 'Wally'. He didn't let anyone besides his family or Camille call him that, and Kendall only did it to bug him. The two had an odd relationship, they were friends, but they were also constantly at each other's throats, easily putting each other down.

"Leave him alone, Kendall," Katie said to her brother, lightly reaching over and hitting him on the arm. "We just want a day to have fun before you do your show tomorrow night."

"Who said that performing isn't fun?" Camille asked, raising her eyebrows. She looked a little offended. She then laughed. "I have fun performing as the different roles for an audition, especially when I get to slap one of you guys."

"Wait, so you're admitting that you do that on purpose," Stephanie asked, completely sarcastic. "And all this time I thought that every single one of your roles called for it." She took the high-five that Dak offered her, causing everyone to laugh. _I'm glad that the Jacksons are laughing, _she thought as she gazed over at them. _I'm glad that they're starting to become happier. I wondered how long it was going to take._

"Is anyone else getting hungry?" Patrick asked suddenly.

"Pat, you're always hungry." Noah pointed out.

"I'm hungry too," Sydney chimed in. "I mean, we've been biking for over an hour, and although I do like the view, having to go up hills like that requires a lot of energy."

"Coming from the boy that shamed us teenagers by getting to the top of the hill first." Logan commented. "But he's right," he added with a nod, making sure his helmet was on correctly. "We should stop and get something to eat before we keep going, you don't want to risk cramping or dehydration." He turned and tilted his head up the road. "I think there's a café up there that we can go to."

"Awesome," James pushed up his kickstand and started peddling. "Race ya there!" he called over his shoulder.

"You're not going to beat up this time, Handsome!" Rhuben called before moving around Noah and starting after him.

"Is he ever _not_ this competitive?" Dak asked Logan, who just muttered something in response. He turned to look at him and held out an arm, waiting for the others to go ahead before turning back to Logan, who was looking at him curiously. "She's not into James," he said to Logan. "She's not into me; she's not into anyone else but you. But nothing's going to happen if you don't take the initiative." With that, he moved up his kickstand and followed the others.

Logan's eyebrows twitched and he frowned before following them. Dak's words swirled around his head as he continued peddling up the road and pulled into the café. He slowly dismounted from his bike, ignoring the dull pain in his legs and clipped his helmet to his bike before walking over to his friends, who were standing in line, talking to each other, trying to decide what to get. His eyes landed on Patrick, Noah, and Katie and he felt a little jealous.

_They can talk to her and hang out with her like nothing's wrong, and I can't even form two coherent sentences around Bella. _He slowly walked over to the line. _Not to mention that she basically told you recently that she doesn't think you're the kind of guy that she wants. _He then looked over at Dak again, who was talking animatedly to Jo and James. _But he's the one that has had lots of girls chasing him around and confessing their love to him for years, so I guess he'd know._

Logan sucked in a deep breath before walking over to Rhuben and tapping her on the shoulder. She turned to him, her blue eyes moving into a look of concern. "Are you ok, Logie-Bear? You were moving kinda slow to get here."

Logan tried not to wince at the nickname 'Logie-Bear'. She and Riley had been calling him that ever since they were 8 and he's hated it ever since they were 8. If anything, every single one of his insecurities was put into that nickname, but he guessed he could have been called something worse.

"No, I'm fine," he said and then licked his lips. "Can I just talk to you for a minute?"

"Yeah," Rhuben turned to Camille. "Keep my space in line? I'll be right back."

Camille looked over at Logan and smirked, causing him to flush, before she agreed and Rhuben turned, following Logan around the back of the café. _This will definitely be easier to do without an audience looking at me like they knew what's going on._

"So what's up?" Rhuben asked, running a hand through her hair.

"Uh," Logan wiped his sweaty hands on the sides of his shorts, suddenly wishing he hadn't said anything. "Oh nothing," he replied, his eyes darting to hers and then just as quickly darting away.

"Nothing? " Rhuben looked confused. "Then why did you ask me over here?"

"Oh, yeah…right, I forgot…" Logan mumbled softly.

Rhuben's eyebrows lowered and she crossed her arms over her chest. _He forgot? What the hell does that mean? _ "Logan, just tell me, what is it?"

"Um…I…" Logan bit his lower lip.

"Just say it and get it over with!" Whether it was because of her time being wasted by Logan's stalling, or she knew exactly what he was going to say, Rhuben was starting to get annoyed and impatient. Her features softened a second later. "Are you sure you're ok? I'm worried-"

"This hard enough as it is, Bella," Logan whispered. He looked so tense and uncertain. Finally, he took a deep breath, "Iloveyou."

Rhuben blinked, not understanding. "What? I didn't catch that."

Logan chewed on his lower lip and sighed heavily, repeating much more clearly, "I said…I love you." He rushed to continue. "And, you might not feel the same way about me, I mean, because you clearly said that you didn't think that you would be lucky enough to find a guy like me. But…I've liked you for a long time and…" he looked at Rhuben and took a hesitant step forward. She didn't move and he took that as a positive sign. Logan placed his thumb and index finger on her chin and closed the gap between the two of them, giving her a gentle kiss.

Rhuben stood there, stunned for a second, before her eyes closed and she kissed him back. She wrapped her arms around his neck, lightly tugging at the strands of hair at the nape of his neck while they still continued to kiss. They were completely, entirely entwined in each other's arms, engrossed in one thing and one thing only, the kiss. Neither showed any sign of relenting; more like the opposite, as their kissing grew fiercer and more intense. Faster and faster, furiously their lips contracted and came back again. It was as if they were both satisfying a prolonged hunger, searching and searching for _it_ and not being quite sure what exactly 'it' was. Then it slowed down, naturally as the need for air became too great.

Her eyes flew open and she took a small step back, her cheeks flushing with a light pink hue as she looked up at him through her bangs. "Wow," she reached up and lightly touched her lips. "Uh, I really wanted to do that." She said, noticing his anxious look.

Logan's shoulders slumped with relief and he tried not to let a huge grin slide onto his face. "Really?"

Rhuben nodded, looking at her feet now. "Really."

Logan licked his lips and stared hard at her. "Then what are you hiding from me?" He asked, his eyebrows raising when Rhuben sharply lifted her head and looked at her, her blue eyes completely void of any emotion. "You've been acting really weird, and I know I'm not the only one that's noticed it. I mean, yeah, you're still jumpy from your dad and everything, but I have a feeling that something else is there." He took a step forward. "What's going on? What are you keeping from me?"

"Nothing," Rhuben shrugged, taking a step back. "I'm not keeping anything from you."

"Yes, you are," Logan looked hurt. "You're my best friend, Bella. I thought we told each other everything."

Rhuben tried not to become impatient, hating that he was using the 'best friend' card against her. She, Logan, and Riley had, well not really made a pact but, said that they could tell that each other was serious about a problem that one of the others were having because they could play that card. Now that he was using it, especially after they had admitted their feelings for each other, it was just going to make things even more complicated. She stood there torn, not sure what to do. She supposed that she could tell him..._But I wouldn't know how he would react and I wouldn't want to hurt him._

"I don't know what's going on, and I'm not sure if I really want to know," Logan reached out to take Ruben's hand, but she quickly pulled it away, wincing as she did so. Logan dropped his arm back to his side, not taking offense to it. "But I want _you_ to know, that whatever _is_ going on," Rhuben opened her mouth to deny it, but Logan continued. "And I know something is, considering I've known you for almost 10 years, I'll always be here to help you with it. Whatever it is. If you have a nightmare, or if you just want to talk, I'm here to listen."

"That's sweet, Logie," Rhuben replied, forcing her anxiety away. "Thanks, it's really helpful. I don't know, I guess I'm just kind of surprised that you want to be with someone like me." She looked at her feet once more. "I mean, I'm not gorgeous or anything, and there's the abuse thing."

"You're beautiful," Logan interrupted. "I always thought so." He moved forward and gently kissed her forehead. "And I always will. And it's like I said, if you need help, I'm here, if you want me." Rhuben nodded. "Oh, wait," Logan suddenly looked panicked, but speaking softly. "What about the 'no romantic entanglements' rule? Gustavo and your dad set it up for a reason."

"Well, you know what they say about rules," Rhuben looked at him through her bangs again, talking just as quietly as Logan was. "They're always meant to be broken."

Logan smiled and tilted her head back, kissing her again. When he broke the kiss, he stepped forward, wrapping his arms around her in a hug, relishing in the feeling as she hugged him back, just as tightly.

…

..

.

"Everything ok?" Katie asked as Logan got his food and slid into an empty space at the table.

"Yeah," Logan replied with a wide smile. "Everything's fine."

* * *

><p>"Dude that was a good bike ride!" Kendall said as he practically limped into the common area of the hotel. He flopped onto a nearby couch, letting out a sigh of relaxation as his body sank into the soft cushions. "I don't think I can move."<p>

"You're gonna have to, Dimples," Riley remarked as she walked up behind him, flipping the car key to her hotel room in her hands. "If you want to get back up to your room."

Kendall twisted himself onto the couch until he was resting on his back, looking up at her. "It's called an elevator." He reminded her.

"Smartass." Riley responded easily as she moved around the couch to leave the room.

"What are you doing right now?" Kendall asked, sitting up and following her with his eyes. "Let's watch a movie or something. Today's our last day of relaxation before we get into that tour grind, besides," he shrugged as Riley turned to look at him. "This is probably the only time you're going to be able to watch a movie without Patrick's constant questions and Carlos' comments."

Riley continued to look at Kendall and he started to shift under her gaze. "Is something wrong?" he asked when he noticed her look around the room, as if waiting for someone to jump out at her. "You seem kinda tense."

"No, just tired," she replied. "But you're right," she pulled off her light windbreaker as she walked over to the couch. "I could use some time to relax a little, especially since everyone else is doing their own thing somewhere; it's probably the only time I'll be able to." She sat down on the couch and took off her shoes and socks as Kendall made room for her on the couch. "Cause for the next two months I'm going to be doing nothing but performing and doing your guys' laundry."

"Hey, you offered to do it." Kendall reminded her.

"That's because I'm tired of all of my white clothes turning pink because Carlos can't sort his clothes well." Riley reminded him. "What movie are we watching?"

"Anything that I can find, hopefully FX has something," Kendall replied as he took off his shoes as well before grabbing the remote from the table in front of them and turning on the TV. He flicked through the channels until he found a movie that caught his eye and left it on.

They watched the move in silence for a few moments, eyes glued to the thriller that was on TV. Riley snorted as Kendall jumped a little when she abruptly turned her body, bringing her feet to rest in his lap. He shifted back a back, but relaxed. While watching the movie he absentmindedly moved his hands down to his lap and started to mess with her feet. She jerked a little and he turned, smirking at her.

"Ticklish?" He asked.

"A little." She replied and then eyed him wearily as he grinned evilly. "Don't even think about it."

"You're the one that volunteered the information." Kendall replied and turned back to the TV.

Riley tried to watch, but there was no way that she could pay attention. Her mind was racing with thoughts about the tour, her friends, and how she was slowly starting to become comfortable with them, wishing that she could open up faster. The teen girl realized she had slightly moved her head and was now staring at the blonde boy next to her.

Riley found her dark blue eyes gazing into Kendall's emerald orbs as he turned his head and stared back at her. She watched a pink tint form in his cheeks as a smile crossed his face.

Riley became aware of a feeling in the pit of her stomach that she couldn't suppress as she looked at the side of Kendall's face. Riley shifted her body, moving her legs until she was straddling Kendall's waist. Her eyes remained fixed on the blonde's eyes as she curved her back so their faces were level. Riley felt Kendall's left arm slide down her back and pull her closer. She found her arms automatically responding to his movements as they wrapped themselves around the back of his neck for support.

Riley felt her friend's hand gently slide down her cheek as he tilted her head slightly to the right. His hand stopped when his index finger, middle finger and thumb were the only part of his hand left in contact with her chin. Riley suddenly became aware of how close their bodies were. She could feel the heat of his body as she pushed herself up against him. She could smell Kendall's unique scent, a mixture of Old Spice, Soap, and masculinity that could drive any girl wild.

The teen girl continued to stare into Kendall's emerald orbs, watching as he tilted his head a little to the right and slowly moved towards her. She automatically started to move towards him too as they both slowly closed their eyes and slightly opened their mouths. Riley could feel her heart pounding away in her chest due to the excitement of the whole situation. Then, finally, the moment she had been waiting for, she felt her soft lips gently push against Kendall's.

It felt as if time had come to a standstill as the lips of the two teens connected for the first time. Adrenaline raced through their bodies, rewarding them with a form of pleasure and excitement for finally kissing. Riley could feel Kendall's lips gliding back from hers. Wanting more, the teen opened her mouth, at the same time as Kendall, and pushed forwards again. They repeated the action several times, adding more passion with each kiss.

They kept kissing for what seemed to be ages, although in reality it was only a mere minute. Eventually the need to breathe took hold of their bodies, making them pull back from the kiss. Riley felt a wave of disappointment spread through her as the kiss end because she wished it could have lasted forever. The raven-haired girl opened her eyes and gazed at her friend. She noticed a huge smile forming as his emerald orbs glinted with happiness. Riley found herself returning the smile as she panted, trying to get some oxygen back into her lungs.

Then all of a sudden, the weight of what just happened crashed back onto her.

Riley immediately knew that it shouldn't have happened. Not with everything that had happened before and what was going on now. Not with all of the secrets that she was keeping, and especially not since all of the stress was starting to get to her. With all of the drama that seemed to attract, she knew that it would eventually alienate Kendall to the point that he wouldn't be able to trust her at all, and it was obvious from the way that they interacted with each other, that they probably trusted each other with their lives, even if Riley wouldn't admit it.

She slowly sat back until she was resting on his thighs, her arms still loosely draped around his neck. She didn't dare look at Kendall; she knew that as soon as she looked at him, he would see the fear in her eyes and wouldn't leave her alone about it until she told him what was going on, and that was NOT an option.

_Kendall ran a hand over his mouth, lowering his voice a little. "Do you ever let anyone in?" He asked. He knew that she knew what he was talking about, what he was really asking; do you ever let anyone in to get to know you? Do you ever __not __have that wall up? Do you ever not keep people an arm's length away from you?_

_Riley twisted her mouth to the side as she thought about it and then looked up at him, her blue eyes meeting his green-yellow ones._

_"I'm working on it."_

Now she felt like a jerk; she had slowly started to open up to him, and she wasn't completely there yet, and now she had kissed him. He probably expected them to start dating at that point, but Riley knew that it wasn't worth it. Especially if it was just going to put him in so much danger later, and that was something that she really wanted to avoid.

"What?" Kendall must have noticed her quick demeanor change, for he sat up straight, removing his arms from her waist. "What is it?"

"Nothing," Riley shook her head, pulling her long hair behind her ears as her phone buzzed. She pulled it out and looked at the text that she had received. "I have to go." With that, she rolled off of Kendall's lap and onto the floor, where she grabbed her red and black vans and slid them onto her feet, without socks. "Back to my room. Got to get up early for rehearsal tomorrow, you know."

"Wait," Kendall's eyes widened as he got to his feet. "Don't you think that we should talk about this?"

Riley tried not to let her anxiety show as she looked at her watch. "There's nothing to talk about." She gave a one-armed shrugged as she stood up and turned to face him. "It was a spur of the moment kind of thing." She winced as she said it, turning away, hoping that he didn't see it.

He had seen it though, and he knew that she was lying. Unlike Logan having noticed that her right eye twitched whenever she lied, he just...had a feeling whenever she did it. And he had that feeling a lot, even after their dad had gone to jail and she and her siblings had started to become happier. It seemed to start, basically as soon as they had announced the tour, after the DarkElements had come back from a few months in Australia. They hadn't changed, per se, but they seemed to be back to their secretive selves again, and it was really starting to worry him. He knew that it wasn't just him, Logan, James, Carlos, and Katie felt it too. He was even sure that his mom had said something about it.

"So, I'll just go and-"

"At least let me walk you back," Kendall insisted as he started to pull his shoes on. "And we _do_ have to talk about this, Riles." He said, lifting his head and looking at her seriously. "It's not something that we can avoid."

"There's _nothing_ to talk about!" Riley hissed, her Australian accent moving into her voice, and turned on her heel, heading out of the room. Kendall got to his feet and started to hop after her, only having one shoe on his foot. "_Stop following me!"_

"Then, ow, stop, ow, walking, ow, away!" Kendall said and crashed into her as she suddenly stopped. _Geez, I didn't think that bike ride hurt that much. _He bounced into her field of vision. "I don't get why you're so scared to-"

"I'm not _scared_, Kendall," Riley looked offended, her eyes narrowing into a furious glare. She crossed her arms over her chest and jutted out her right hip. "I just have stuff to do."

"And yet, two seconds ago you were sitting there enjoying the movie perfectly fine." Kendall reminded her. He looked down, noticing that he was still standing on one foot, and then lowered his other foot to the floor. "I don't know what's going on with you, but lately you're not acting like yourself."

"I'm acting like myself," Riley scoffed. "And me, being myself, wants to go-"

"And run away, scared, with her tail between her legs." Kendall interrupted. Riley's face slowly started to turn red as she dropped her arms, her hands clenching into fists. If it was possible for her to actually bristle, that's what she would have been doing right then. "It couldn't have possibly been that bad of a kiss, Tinkerbell."

"KENDALL, RACK OFF!" Riley hollered into his face. Kendall frowned, glaring back at her, but willed himself not to yell back, like instinct told him to. "You're really starting to make me as mad a cut snake." She moved to walk around him, but then froze when she realized something that he had just said. She looked at him, eying him warily. "What'd you call me Tinkerbell for?"

"Your face turns red when you're mad," Kendall pointed out. "Just like Tinkerbell." Riley let out a breath through his nose and Kendall moved around her. "Now, I'm going to get my other shoe and we can talk," he turned back to her. "And I'm not taking 'no' for an answer." He added firmly, much like a father talking sternly to a son that just broke a window.

Riley pushed up the sleeves of her jacket and waited for him to finish tying his shoes and grabbed his hotel room key before leading her out of the common room and started the walk back to their rooms. "So, what just happened?" He looked down at her. "I mean, the movie, sitting close to each other, the kiss…?"

"I don't know," Riley grumbled.

_Ok, she's definitely not going to make this easy. _He tried to go at it from a different angle. "So, do you think that it could work?" He asked. "I mean, us dating. Like in secret because of that rule." He stopped in the middle of the hallway, causing Riley to stop as well. "I mean, I don't know how you feel about me, but I really like you." He looked right into her blue eyes. "And I think you know that." He watched as she nodded. "What do you think then?" he gently pressed. "Do you…feel the same way?"

"No." Riley replied quickly. Kendall gave her a knowing look. "I don't." she insisted. Kendall continued to look at her. "Stop looking at me like that!" Kendall crossed his arms over his chest. Riley let out a heavy sigh through her nose and looked away for a moment. She was still very mad, because he pushed her buttons, he could see that, but he could also see her starting to wear down. "I'd be lying if I said that I didn't have strong feelings for you," she said slowly.

"But?" Kendall asked.

Riley's anger slowly melted to minor irritation as she gave a wry smile and a sly shrug. "How'd you know there was a but, Eyebrows?"

"There's always one." Kendall replied with a shrug and a short smile. "Plus, I kinda had a feeling that you were going to turn my down from how long you were quiet."

"But, I don't think that the timing is right," Riley admitted. "I mean, we're on a tour, and like when we're back in LA, my music is my main focus right now." She paused. _And there's this whole thing that I can't tell you. _"I'm not turning you down exactly," she added, trying to make light of the conversation. "I'm just…putting it on hold?" She made a face at how lame it sounded.

Kendall looked at his feet and nodded and the two started to walk in silence for a few moments. Kendall then started to laugh a little bit, causing Riley to turn to him, her eyebrows raised in question. "I just realized, every time I've ever had this kind of conversation with a girl, I've been so nervous. But when we talked, it wasn't nerve-wracking or awkward at all."

"I could tell," she commented.

"How?" Kendall looked confused.

"You weren't biting your nails." Riley thought about it for a moment. "You're right," she agreed. "I think it's just because we're so comfortable around each other."

"Yeah, when you're not screaming at me." Kendall added, lightly nudging her with his shoulder. "And yet, you can't get rid of me."

"Don't think I haven't tried." Riley gave a small smile.

"Shock and horror," Kendall teased, pointing to her face. "Is that a smile, I see?"

"Shut up, Hockey-Head," Riley replied, her smile fading as her phone buzzed again. This time, though, she ignored it. "Anyway, I hope that this doesn't hurt our friendship."

"Are you kidding?" Kendall snorted. "Give me a bit more credit than that. If we can have a conversation like that and still be comfortable around each other, then we're not best friends for nothing." He licked his lips. "I mean, all of you guys are my best friends for different reasons, but-"

"I know what you mean." Riley interrupted. "I feel the same way." She stopped once she reached her suite. "I'll see you tomorrow, then." She phrased it like a question, not moving to go into the hotel room.

"Considering we're going to be spending a lot of time on the bus tomorrow, yeah." Kendall replied with a smile. He blinked in surprise as Riley moved forward and wrapped her arms around his waist in a hug. _Well, that's definitely __not__ like her. Something is definitely going on. _"Uh, I thought you didn't like to be touched."

"I'm still working on that," Riley replied, her voice muffled against his chest. "You're fine as long as I touch you first." Kendall tried not to laugh, but she must have felt his stomach muscles constricting as she then said, tilting her had back so her chin rested on her stomach, "It's not funny, Kendork."

"You said it, not me." Kendall replied as he rested his arms on her shoulders. He looked down at the top of her head, wondering what had brought on the unexpected act of affection from her. Usually she would threaten everyone, even Carlos, if they moved too close to her without asking for permission first. He had known not to do that, especially after seeing her freak out at Dak once for picking her up without warning her. He had originally thought that it was due to their abuse, but with her and her siblings, nothing seemed to be making any sense anymore. At least not for the past two months. "I really don't want to bring this up, but you've been acting really weird lately. Like, weirder than usual, is everything ok?"

"When is anything ever ok with us?" Riley replied, dropping her arms from Kendall's waist, taking a step back and tilting her head back to look at Kendall, all humor gone from her eyes. "Didn't you hear Syd this morning? If you have the last name of Jackson, are related to one, or know a Jackson, odds are, you're headed for trouble."

"Are you in trouble?" Kendall swallowed thickly.

"Not yet." Riley replied mysteriously, quickly turning back to her old self, the mysterious person that seemed to annoy Kendall to no end. "But then again, if I told you," she tilted her head to the side. "I'd have to kill you."

"You're joking, right?"

"What do you think?" Riley replied. She whipped out her card key and turned to the door. "See you tomorrow." She unlocked the door.

"One more question," Kendall stopped her. "Do you ever stop pushing people away?" He waited to see if she was going to react before continuing. "'Cause I can only take so much until I get the hint and give up."

"I'll stop pushing people away when life isn't such a bitch."Riley said and slid inside the hotel room.

Kendall's eyebrows furrowed together before he took a step back away from the door and walked to the elevator to go to his room. She was always saying things so vaguely to him, so he could try to fix his problems on his own, or the quote her 'to challenge him', never giving a straight answer to his questions. But now…he wasn't sure if she was challenging him…or being completely serious.

If it was the latter, he knew that things were going to get worse before it was going to get better.

* * *

><p>"So you and Logan are going out now?" Noah asked, his eyebrows rising. Rhuben nodded slowly. "You know you're going to have to do it in secret, right? Because of that rule?"<p>

"Yeah, we talked about that," Rhuben said, twiddling her thumbs. "We're going to date in secret for a while, and then try to talk to Gustavo and Ronan about it later." She suddenly looked shy, looking down at her hands.

"Great," Sydney mumbled. "Another secret we have to keep from our friends." He suddenly looked earnest. "It's not really a bad thing, I suppose. As long as you're happy." He snorted. "Plus, we all know that none of the others can keep a secret, so it's probably the best thing to do."

The Jacksons were sitting in their suite, just talking as they waited for Ronan to get back. Basically as soon as they had gotten adopted by Ronan, they were never comfortable enough to go to sleep without at least one of the other ones being there, as well as making sure that Ronan was safe and sound back home. One time Patrick had even stayed up all night long, just to wait for Ronan to get back from the studio. He took about five naps the next day, due to being so tired. Riley had just told them about what happened with Kendall, and that prompted Rhuben to tell them what happened with her and Logan.

"Doesn't that mean that you're, you know," Patrick started to pick at his nails. "Using Logan just to make yourself happy when all you're doing is lying to him?"

"Excuse me," Rhuben turned to Patrick, her tone laced with massive amounts of attitude. "Isn't that the same thing that you're doing to Katie?"

"The only difference there is that I'm not dating Katie, and I'm not going to until this whole thing is blown over." Patrick scowled. "You know if it _ever does_!" He suddenly looked sad. "And, you know, if she's still talking to us after that."

"Guys, don't fight," Noah chided. "If anything, that's just going to cause more stress." He turned to Patrick. "And you know what a lot of stress does right? It causes your hair to fall out." He smirked as Patrick shot his hands to his hair, whimpering.

"You know that I want absolutely nothing to do with this," Sydney muttered, his elbows resting on the table, his chin in his hands. He was looking down at the table. "You know that I think that all of this is a bad thing and you should just go to the police. But at the same time, I know that you're doing what you think is right. All I want you to do is stay safe."

"Syd, why do I get the distinct feeling that you're trying to guilt-trip us?" Riley asked, turning to him.

"Because I am," Sydney replied honestly. "I'm tired of having to lie to our friends. But it's like you said, they wouldn't understand." He pushed his chair back and got to his feet. "I'm going to go to sleep, and you may want to be back before Ronan gets back."

"Got it," Rhuben replied. "Night, Little Man." Her phone buzzed as Riley reached out and kissed Sydney on the forehead before pushing him to his room. Rhuben pulled her out to look at it before turning to Riley. "They need us."

...

..

.

"They said they were going to be on the beach, right?" Rhuben asked pulling her long hair from her face as the salty sea air blew her hair about. "Up the beach and at a bonfire?" Riley nodded silently. Rhuben then sighed and pulled her phone out of her pocket to check the time, bring it close to her face.

"You know, it's bad for your eyesight if you do that." Riley remarked, turning her head to look at her younger twin sister.

"I know that," Rhuben replied, putting her phone away. "But it's not like my eyesight can get any worse, I mean," she paused. "It can, but-"She smiled and she and Riley burst out into laughter as they continued to walk along the beach, their shoes sinking into the sand. "Do you think we're doing the right thing?"

Riley looked surprised for a second and then relaxed. "Are you thinking about Logan?"

"Yeah," Rhuben replied, glad that in the darkness her sister couldn't see her blush. "I don't know," she shrugged. "Ever since we met them in LA…things have been different. And unlike what Patrick said, I'm not using him; I should have something besides music that makes me happy."

"Well, I was just waiting for you to realize your feelings for him," Riley slid her hands into the back pockets of her jeans. "I mean, he's always loved you, but you were just too stupid to realize it."

"No," Rhuben denied. "I was just too busy to worry about it." She moved her eyes over to Riley. "Is that why you turned down Kendall? You're too busy worrying?"

"That," Riley agreed. "And then there's the fact that I know that Kendall will look at me differently when he figures out what's going on. I mean, you're lucky, because Logan will love us, mostly you, no matter what we do and he'll always be there for us. But Kendall, he'll be pissed beyond reason, especially since we're bring that danger around Katie and Mama Knight." She let out a heavy sigh. "Plus, there's Braden, and all of that baggage there, because he's the most jealous person on the planet. I know that something's going to happen there."

"What do you think will be worse though?" Rhuben asked seriously, stopping and turning to her sister. "Having him find out and hate your guts because you put his family in danger, all of that where you also string him along, or you just telling him the truth and hoping for the best?"

Riley sucked her lips into her mouth, looking up towards the sky. She then lowered her gaze and looked right into her twin's eyes again. "Is there any way that I _don't_ end up looking like a jerk?"

Rhuben gave a sympathetic smile. "You won't look like a jerk to us," she put her arm around Riley's shoulder and the two continued walking again.

"You're my family; I'm not supposed to be a jerk to you."

"Well, there's that."

The twin girls walked past the lifeguard station before finally seeing a stream of smoke in the sky, and a bright orange glow. Rhuben couldn't help but tense up with annoyance and anger when she spotted a group of teenagers sitting around the fire. Although everything that was going on was partially her fault, in the loosest way possible, it still made her mad to know that her friends wouldn't have to start to question why they were always acting so jumpy and worry if they had just listened to the deal they originally made.

"There's Austen," Riley said, nodding forward as she opened her stride and moved towards the bonfire faster.

"I see him," Rhuben spat back.

Austen must have noticed them as well, for he nodded to his companions (Candy, Braden, Malice, and two other teenagers, both boys) and they all turned in the direction that they were coming from. Austen removed the cigarette that was dangling from his lips and blew out a cloud of smoke before speaking to them.

"I was wondering when you'd show up," He commented, looking at his watch. "I sent a text twenty minutes ago."

"You mean besides the constant ones you've been sending since we got to LA?" Riley replied coolly.

Austen merely shrugged.

"Ok, seriously?" Rhuben snapped, placing her hands on her hips. "When we agreed to this whole thing, we said to _watch_ our friends, not _stalk_ our friends," she placed her hands on her hips. "They're starting to become freaked out by you! Especially since you show up, everywhere!"

"Really?" Braden asked, feigning innocence. "I thought that was the idea all along. My bad." He laughed and exchanged a low-five with Austen, who smiled back. Behind him, Candy, Malice, and the two other teenagers laughed along with him.

"Uh, hello?" Riley crossed her arms over her chest before waving a hand towards him. "Ex-boyfriends for a reason."

"Oh, sorry," Braden didn't sound the least bit remorseful. "Am I getting in the way of you and your boyfriend? The one with the caterpillar eyebrows?" Riley glared back at him. "Does he even know what's going on with you guys? Or are you just keeping them in the dark like you did before? How long do you think he's going to stick around before he wants nothing to do with you?" He looked back and forth between Riley and Rhuben. "Or your friends in general? Have you had any sort of consequences for anything that you've done?"

_He's right_ Rhuben's gaze lowered to her shoes. _We might not have any friends left after this whole thing ends, if it ever does. I'm surprised that we even still have friends now because of it. I can tell that they're already starting to distance themselves from us._

"Braden lay off my girls." Candy sneered. "It's not our fault that you're not getting some." She pushed her lips into a sexy pout. "Not that you haven't had any offers."

"Sorry," Braden turned back to Riley. "I'm a one-woman man, I don't sleep with whores."

"All of you, shut up!" Austen commanded, flicking his cigarette into the fire. He waited until he was sure he had everyone's attention. "Don't forget what we're here for." He turned back to Riley and Rhuben. "Don't forget, you were the ones that came to us for help and we're giving it to you, and you're going to hold up your end of the deal. I don't care if you have to lock your friends in a room to come when we contact you, but you will. This won't go away until you're back home, and that's not going to happen for another two months, so you have to deal with it the best way we can. But to try and help you, we'll try and only call you when it's night time and everyone else should be asleep, that should help some."

"Yeah, some." Riley repeated.

"You could always tell them, and cancel the tour." Austen shrugged. "Your call."

Riley and Rhuben looked at each other, having another one of their famous 'silent conversations', where they could communicate just by changing their facial expressions.

Riley finally sighed heavy and turned back to Austen. "That's not an option. They wouldn't understand."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: No, this isn't the normal, ex-boyfriend-comes-around-to-ruin-the-relationship kind of story, there's more to it than that; and it's not the reason why Riley kissed Kendall and then turned him down for a date in the next minute, I have a different idea with that. (Actually, part of the conversation that Riley and Kendall had in this chapter happened to me in real life, the only difference is that I didn't kiss the guy.) As for Logan and Rhuben, what do you think about their dating in secret? Obviously, that's not all that's going to be going on there for drama with them, I can't have Kiley and Lella as pairings without a little bit of drama. ;) Also, I had a lot of Kiley here, and there will be a lot of Lella in the next chapter.**

**The relationships between them may seem like they're moving kind of fast, but it's supposed to go that way, to go along with the fast-pace plot of the story. Let me know if you think that it should be slowed down a bit. I bet that you think that Rhuben and Riley admitted their feelings for Logan and Kendall kind of fast, but in my mind it makes sense that they would tell the truth about that, but keep lying about her other secret, just to make things better/to kind of make up for the constant lying. (Plus, they had over a year to develop their feelings for the boys).**

**I've decided that Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, and WayneWayne are going to be secondary characters that appear every now and then, they have a bigger part in the next chapter (as well as Sydney), and will 'disappear' for a bit, but I'll continue to bring them back every now and then.**

**I don't know, I'm not sure about this chapter, let me know what you think and I'll change things if you think I need to change it.**

**But I have a question for you guys, would you rather me let you (the audience) know what's going on with the Jacksons before the characters, or let you all know at the same time? If you want to know sooner all of the warnings for this story will start in the next chapter and I might have to change the rating of the story to 'M'. I decided this story will either have 25 or 30 chapters, it doesn't need to be drawn out for a long time after everyone finds out, plus with all of the action and everything, and it will increase the pace of the story.**

**Thanks to **_MysticMelody101, DarkElement-Jackson-Fan, shotinthedark, BigTimeFan-'10, Jenna, Rage-Against-Time, Got2LiveItBigTime, BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan, youspinmelikearecord, LogieLuvr914, Rayna, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, and 2lazy2signin _**for reviewing.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	9. Breakdown

**.:Chapter Nine - Breakdown:.**

**This chapter goes back to having it in someone's POV and then it goes into third person omniscient. It will go in a certain order starting with this one: Katie, Logan, Kendall, James, and Carlos and continue like that through the rest of the story.**

* * *

><p>"Hey guys," Katie greeted as she walked into Big Time Rush's dressing room before a concert in hers, Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James' hometown of St. Paul, Minnesota. Their concert is in the early afternoon, so after they could go to their homes (or to the others a hotel) and get some rest, and the next day that they had off, they could visit their families and have fun. "You ready for the show?" She paused, making a face, before continuing over to the chair that Kendall was sitting in and pulling herself up onto his lap. "That's kind of redundant question since you've already been on tour for half a month."<p>

She looked at her friends, Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, WayneWayne, and the DarkElements, who were hanging out on the floor of the dressing room. She never really felt like the kind of girl that would actually have a lot of friends; back home, she only had two friends that she hung out with, but even with then she was constnatly worrying about whether or not she alienated them, because she didn't care about the same things they did. Even when they moved back home for that short period of time after the guys' first concert tanked, she was glad to be with them again, but that feeling went away fast, because it was always awkward. It was obvious that LA had changed her a little bit, she didn't have time to giggle an obsess over boys. She wanted to make money and help her brother and his friends the best way she could. But that's what she liked about Dak, WayneWayne, Jo, Camille, Stephanie, and the Jacksons. They were real, they didn't care if she did or said something stupid, and they supported her with whatever decision they made.

It was one of the few things she liked about moving out to LA over a year ago.

"Don't worry, at least you care," Kendall replied, giving her a hug. "Gustavo just walks in, barks orders, and then walks out to scream into his cell phone to whoever he's talking to." He grinned around at his friends. "If anything, I feel more sorry for whoever is on the phone, because they have to deal with Gustavo's anxiety."

"I think the words that you're looking for in that sentence are 'whomever' and 'sorrier'." Sydney piped up from the floor, where he was writing in a notebook.

"Oh no," Katie groaned with a laugh. "We have another Logan on our hands."

"There's nothing wrong with wanting to have a good vocabulary." Sydney replied calmly as he sat back on his heels. He frowned down at his notebook before erasing something and scribbling in it again.

Katie studied him, suddenly feeling sorry for him. Here he was, 11 years old and he was probably one of the most overworked people on the face of the planet, especially since he was in a band that was so big that they were constantly working on two albums at once; one for the US which was basically just a remastered version of an old CD, and then one for their home of Australia, which needed all new songs. She remembered when she was 11 all she did was annoy Kendall and his friends, and try to make as much money as possible.

_But then again, I wasn't put into a band at such a young age, so I guess he's just used to it. _Katie sighed and leaned back against Kendall's chest.

"Something wrong?" Carlos asked, turning to her, when he heard her sigh.

"Not really," Katie replied with a shrug. She turned to Carlos and gave him a wicked smile. "I was just thinking of some other things of your guys' to sell for more money." She pretended to look at the ceiling in thought. "Maybe I could take your toothbrushes and sell those-"

"People actually buy your guys' toothbrushes?" Jo asked, her eyes widening in horror as she lowered the magazine that she, Camille, and Stephanie were reading, all crushed on one couch.

"Yeah," Katie nodded earnestly. "They sell for a LOT," She then rubbed her thumb and index fingers together as she raised and lowered her eyebrows.

"Huh, and mom was wondering how your bank account suddenly got bigger." Kendall commented, tickling her in her sides.

"Really?" Patrick gave a lop-sided smile. "I figured that you were wondering why you had to suddenly star buying toothbrushes in bulk." He laughed, raising his hand, allowing Riley to slap it in a high-five.

"That's really funny," Jo couldn't help but a laugh along with her friends, but her nose then wrinkled. "But that's also disgusting."

"Hey, fans can be really weird," Carlos said with a shrug as he turned in his chair. "There are the ones that chased us through the park," he started to count off on his fingers. "The ones that chased us through the mall, the ones that chased us down the boardwalk, the ones that chased our car when we were going to a Photoshoot-"

"Is this all during the tour?" WayneWayne asked as he raised an eyebrow.

"No, this was just when we were in LA _before _the tour." Carlos replied, shaking his head.

"Yeah," James let out a wistful sigh as he turned from his mirror, running his lucky comb through his hair. He gave a wistful smile. "Isn't it great?"

"No one can say that you're not a romantic, James," Camille stated sarcastically.

"Not all fans are that weird," Rhuben commented patiently. "There are a lot of perfectly fine, normal ones."

"And then there are the ones that are really creepy," Logan said with a shrug. "They go hand in hand."

"Oh, you mean like that Austen guy?" Carlos piped up, grabbing the girls' attention. "He seems to show up at every single show that we have done. We met him at our first show in LA, before we left. The next night he was at the same restaurant that we were at for dinner. Then after that, he shows up at our San Francisco show, then our San Diego show, and it wouldn't surprise me if he was at every other show that we have had before we got here to Minnesota."

"But he's a fan, it's normal to go to every show." Stephanie pointed out, looking over at Carlos pointedly. "Like, if Brittany Spears was doing a tour, or Nicole Scherzinger, you'd try to go to every show too."

_But that's different. _Katie thought to herself as she looked around the room. The Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, and WayneWayne looked skeptical, her brother and his friends seemed to freak out whenever he was around, and the Jacksons just clammed up. _He seems to have backstage passes to every show that we have been to, and he just wanders around back here like he owns the place. Normal fans are usually too scared to leave the security guards. I know people, and there's something about him that's really weird._

"Nicole, yeah, but I'm a guy." Carlos continued. "A guy wanting to come to all of our shows to see us, kind of weird." He held up his hands. "Just saying."

"Yeah, and you're a moron," Katie added, mimicking Carlos' stance by holding up her hands. "Just saying." She repeated.

"You should take it as a compliment," Dak suggested as a large, inappropriate grin slid onto his face. "That you're good looking enough to have _guys _fall for you too."

"Shut up, Dak." Kendall lobbed a paper ball at him, chuckling a little bit.

Katie couldn't help but laugh along with them. She had seen the same thing being said about the guys in tabloids, in magazines, and on websites, day after day; that they were secretly gay for each other. Fan had even come up with names for them, the most popular pairings being Kogan (KendallxLogan) and Jarlos (JamesxCarlos) because they were the ones that hung out the most. She didn't tell them about the pairings, wanting them to figure it out on themselves, so she could see their reactions; but it was always funny to see the 'evidence' that fans came up with for it.

Katie heard a distinct clicking sound, and looked down at the floor to see Riley's fingers flying over the keyboard of her phone, a look of concentration and apprehension on her face. _They've been acting odd, now that I think about it. Sure, over the past half month they've gotten closer to the rest of us and haven't flinched nearly as often when we go to give them a high-five, but I've see Riley and Rhuben on their phones almost every minute of every day and we're all here. Who could they possibly be texting?_

"Hey," Riley lifted her head and looked at Patrick and Noah. "Could you do me a favor and-"

"No problem," Noah quickly got to his feet, putting his notebook aside. "We can just give Ronan our new songs later." He turned to Patrick. "You coming?"

"Geez, you're leaving before we even get a chance to say 'hi'?"

Katie turned at the sound of an accented voice and saw a tall teenage boy and teenage girl standing in the doorway. If she knew that he wasn't lying on the floor, she would have thought that Sydney had grown taller and gotten rid of his dimples as he stood in the doorway, smiling at the group. The teenage girl standing beside them gave a shy smile and a wave, nervously moving her blonde hair behind her shoulders.

"JULIUS!" Sydney shouted as he leapt to his feet and led his brother and sisters in a stampede over to the boy. Sydney hugged him around the waist as the rest of his siblings crushed him. "When did you get here?"

"Last night, Little Man," Julius replied with a smile as he hugged his siblings in return. "Brittany and I got the earliest flight after our tests ended."

"Well, it's good to have you here." Riley beamed, her eyes shining with excitement.

Katie's eyebrows lowered in confusion as she tilted her head back to look at Kendall, seeing if he recognized him, and almost burst out laughing when she saw jealousy flash through his eyes. _Poor Kendall, always too stupid to tell people how he feels about him. He was like that with his last girlfriend; it's no wonder they broke up. _She shrugged. _Eh, I didn't really like her anyway._

"Oh, guys," Noah turned back to his friends. "This is our brother Julius and his girlfriend Brittany McNabb." He turned back to the teenage couple. "Guys this is Kendall, Logan, Carlos, James, Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, WayneWayne, and Katie." He said, pointing to each person.

"G'day," Julius gave a bright smile and a wave. "It's nice to meet you all, finally. I heard a lot about you."

"Good things, I hope." Carlos stated with a large smile.

"Nothing but good things," Brittany agreed. "Anyway, we wanted to come back here and say 'hi' before we start to help Ronan and Gustavo make sure everything is ready for the show, we can meet up with you guys for dinner later and we can continue talking then."

Julius nodded and then turned to his siblings. "Which means that Ronan wants you guys to do one extra vocal run with him, to be sure."

"Ugh," Riley shook her head. "He's so stressed it's not even funny."

"But we have a delivery we have to make really fast," Patrick said, placing his hands on Noah's shoulders and started to push him out of the room. "So we'll just meet you in our dressing room when we're done."

Julius nodded and took Brittany's hand, gave a wave to the others in the room, and left. Riley, Sydney, and Rhuben walked out after them.

"They seem really excited," Katie commented with a smile as she turned back to her friends. "A lot happier than they have been for the past couple of days."

"Well, they haven't seen their brother in a long time," Carlos shrugged, and then started to bounce up and down in his seat. "And I get to see my mom tonight! And my dad! And my cousins! And my Aunts! And my Uncles!" He paused when he saw that everyone else was staring at him. "What? I have a big family, and when they heard that we were coming back to Minnesota, they all decided to come into town and see me."

Katie smirked at the thought. _That just means that he'll be distracted enough so I can grab some more of his things off of the bus. Talk about perfect timing. _She turned to Jo, Camille, and Stephanie as their phones rang, her eyebrows rising when she noticed the worried expressions on their faces. "Those notes again?" She asked, and they nodded.

"What notes?" James asked, finally tearing his gaze away from the mirror. "No, seriously, what kind of notes?" He insisted when he saw that they weren't going to answer him.

"A couple of weeks ago they got letters at their apartments saying that they needed to stay away from you guys and the Jacksons or else they would going to get hurt." Katie replied with a shrug. "It's nothing serious." She looked up at Kendall as she felt him tense up.

"Are you serious?" Kendall asked, his voice holding onto a dark tone. "Why didn't you tell us before?"

"It was nothing," Stephanie said, shaking her head. "At least, I thought it was nothing before. Riley and Rhuben convinced us that it was just haters, but over the past few weeks, they've become more frequent, and now, apparently, they know our phone numbers."

"Let me see that," Carlos got to his feet and walked over to Stephanie, grabbing her phone from her hand. Dak and WayneWayne crowded around to see it as well. He looked over the text before turning the phone on its side and pressing a few buttons. "Just block the number, I agree with Riley and Rhuben, there's nothing to worry about." He turned and looked at the girls seriously. "You might have to change your phone numbers, but I don't think that anything else is going to happen. But if something does, just let me know."

"Wow Carlos, way to be brave." Camille commented with a bright smile.

Carlos shrugged modestly, although his cheeks flushed. "I just like to make sure that my friends are ok and that nothing's brothering them."

_So do you know that something's bothering the Jacksons? _Katie asked herself as she looked over at him. _Because I'm sure that everyone can feel it, even though they're not saying anything about it, out loud._

"DOGS, GET STARTED ON YOUR VOCALS!"

"How is he able to get his voice to carry _all the way_ over here?" Camille asked, slapping her hands over her ears. "Does he have microphones implanted somewhere?"

"Probably in our brains," Kendall commented, rubbing his forehead. "Because now I have a _huge_ headache." He moved Katie off of his lap and onto the floor. "Well, we better get started before he starts to storm down the door."

"Cool, we'll just go to our seats then," Dak agreed as he, WayneWayne, and the girls got to their feet. "Have a good show guys." He started moving forward, but quickly pulled his foot back. "Hey, Riles left her phone." He stated, picking it up off of the ground.

"I'll give it to her," Logan offered, grabbing it from Dak's hand and shoving it into his pants pocket. "I'll be back in a flash," he added to his band mates before leaving the room at a quick stride.

* * *

><p>"God, why are these hallways so freaking long," Jo groaned as she, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, and WayneWayne walked to their seats. "It's like a maze back here."<p>

"I think that's done on purpose," WayneWayne commented. "So they can catch people that aren't authorized to be back here, they don't know their way around." He then looked down at the badge that he had pinned to his shirt. "Good thing that we have friends that are famous or we wouldn't be able to do it either."

"Sounds to me like you're just using our friends, Wally," Camille commented, shaking her head. "Tsk, tsk, what will they think when they hear that?"

"That their first instinct was actually right?" Dak replied with a shrug, laughing as WayneWayne reached out and shoved him into the wall.

"Boys," Stephanie sighed, rolling her eyes as Dak turned around and shoved WayneWayne back into the opposite wall. "They don't know when to stop fighting."

"At least we know self-defense," WayneWayne teased back as he pulled Dak into a head lock. "If you girls were assaulted by someone back here, you wouldn't be able to do anything but scream and _try_ to defend yourselves."

"Uh, hello?" Jo looked offended. "I know judo, thank you very much. I can make a grown man cry!"

"You can do that just by letting him take a good look at your face," Dak commented and jumped behind WayneWayne as Jo let out a shriek of annoyance and charged towards him. Camille and Stephanie grabbed onto her arms, holding her back. "Down girl, I was just kidding."

"You're lucky you're my friend, or you would be dead." Jo pouted.

"Yeah, we learned that a while ago," WayneWayne commented with a smile. "But I think we're the lucky ones, getting to be able to hang out with hot girls all the time."

"I know that's supposed to be a compliment," Stephanie said as she raised an eyebrow. "But all I hear is a bunch of macho guy talk that makes me feel annoyed."

"It's what we do best."

"Hey, could you help us?" Austen and Braden walked over to the group of five friends. "We seem to have gotten lost while following the security guard to go meet the bands." Braden said, moving his brown hair out of his blue eyes.

"Oh yeah, no problem, dude," WayneWayne commented. He turned back to the girls. "Hey, you guys go ahead and we'll catch up to you later."

"Alright," Camille replied with a shrug. "We'll save you guys some seats, you know how quickly the VIP section fills up."

"Thanks," Dak gave them a wave and turned to Austen and Braden. "What's up, I'm-"

"Dak Zevon and Wally Dooley," Austen interrupted. "Yeah, we know, we've seen, or, well, heard, your guys' stuff."

WayneWayne frowned. "It's WayneWayne," he corrected through gritted teeth. _These guys are kind of weird._

"Right, sorry."

"So, where are we supposed to be going?" Braden asked, looking sheepish. "We looked away from security for a minute and then they just got away from us. We've been looking around for someone for twenty minutes now."

"Ooh, you might want to wait until after the show to meet them then, you're cutting it kind of close." Dak winced.

"No, we'll be fine." Austen insisted.

"Ok, so you go back down this hallway, and turn to the right…"

Austen waved a hand behind his back and Malice crept around the corner of the hallway and moved up behind Dak and WayneWayne. He pulled a fist back and punched the two of them square in the back of the head. Austen and Braden held out their arms and caught the two boys as they slumped towards the ground, and dragged them over to the supply closet and dumped them inside, closing and locking the door behind them.

"Geez Malice, you didn't have to hit them so hard," Braden said with a grin as he leaned forward and pressed his ear against the door, listening to see if the guys were waking up. "But it sounds like you knocked them out."

"What can I say," Malice gave a malicious (no pun intended) smile as he shook out his hand, the knuckles already turning a bright red. "It's a force of habit. If you want to punch someone, you make sure that you can knock them out in one blow."

"Yeah, well, I hope they get the message loud and clear now," Austen stated, backing away from the door. "Come on, let's go."

* * *

><p>"Psst,"<p>

Rhuben's eyebrows crinkled together and she looked away from Ronan, who was playing a keyboard in a series of scales, working on the DarkElements' vocals. She followed the sound and noticed Logan leaning over into the doorway, waving towards her.

Rhuben gave a short wave back and turned to Ronan. "Hey, I have to go to the bathroom really quick, I'll be right back." She said and waited for Ronan to nod before backing away from the piano and leaving the room.

"C'mon," Logan lightly grabbed onto her wrist and started to pull her down the long hallway. They rounded the corner and he stopped at a random supply closet. Logan pushed open the door and pulled the raven-haired girl inside. The door shut and Logan spun Rhuben around and pushed her up against it. She gasped, flinching slightly as the brunette got close to her face. "Can I kiss you?" Logan asked, grabbing onto her hips, pressing his forehead against hers.

Rhuben nodded and Logan bent down, giving her a sweet kiss. He cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her. He kissed her again and again, leaving peck after peck on her trembling lips. Rhuben kissed him back, savoring each and every one, completely taken by his sudden movement. Logan's lips pressed hard against hers, so that when his lips parted, Rhuben's came apart with them. He tilted his head a little more to the left to form their mouths into a seal. It was warm, and moist, her mouth moving with and against his.

She looked a little disappointed when he pulled away, but it left her face quickly. "Do you know how hard it was to have to see you and not be able to do that?" Logan asked and leaned forward, kissing her again.

Rhuben blushed when they broke apart. "I know," she said as she reached up and straightened his tie. "But that's what happens when you date in secret," she then looked up into his eyes, rolling her own blue eyes. "You know Gustavo, as soon as he makes a rule, it will take Mama Knight, Kelly, _and_ Ronan _days _to change his mind."

"I guess you're right," Logan agreed. He then furrowed his eyebrows together as he took a small step back. "How come I can't tell my friends? I mean, your brothers and sister already know-"

"Only because they can see it on my face, almost as easily as when we can tell that there's something bothering you guys," Rhuben interrupted. "And, it's like why I'm not telling Jo, Camille, or Stephanie. For right now, we don't need anybody else interfering in our relationship." She hesitated. "At least not right away."

"I guess you're right," Logan repeated. "I mean," he made a face. "James would want to know everything if he knew." He then gave a grin. "Well, its fun sneaking around, it makes things more fun."

"Fun?" Rhuben raised an eyebrow. "Not exhilarating? Hot? Sexy?" She smirked as Logan's face slowly turned red. "Hey, you put it out there," she held her hands up defensively. "It's not my fault that making you uncomfortable is so easy."

"Ha ha," Logan rolled his eyes before giving her a hug. "C'mon, you need to get to your sound check before Ronan thinks something's up." He removed his arms from her shoulders, immediately noticing the warmth missing as he did so.

"Knowing Ronan, he's going to be too busy to notice for a bit, he probably has some sort of problem that he's trying to fix," Rhuben said as she fell in step with Logan, the two leaving the closet and starting to walk down the hall. "Much like you guys do." She added with a teasing smile.

"No, that's different," Logan replied quickly. "Because we're usually fixing something, until you guys step in and make it worse, and _then_ it gets fixed." He said, thinking of the many times that BTR had needed a plan to try and fix something that they had either caused to go wrong, or it had gone wrong themselves.

He had to admit, even with his smart ideas, most of their plans had a slim to none chance of things actually working out. But at least they didn't make things exceptionally bad like the DarkElements did when they tried to "help" and "fix" things. He had the sneaking suspicions that they got bored so easily that they purposely made things worse just to have fun. He wouldn't put it past them, at least.

"So, Kendall and Riley have become, like, really close lately." Logan said, changing the subject. "I mean, they've kissed once and now they're just close friends. I can't believe that they're not dating; we need to do something about that."

"Why?" Rhuben asked with a short laugh, arching an eyebrow. "Why can't we just let things happen naturally?"

"Really?" Logan's eyebrows raised himself as he turned to her. "You think that's actually going to happen?" Rhuben stared at him. "I mean more than it already has." He reiterated himself. After Rhuben had told her siblings about her and Logan getting together, Riley had told them about her and Kendall, firmly stating that they weren't going to get together anytime soon. At that time, Kendall had gone and told the guys what had happened, to which he denied feeling upset about being rejected, after James, Carlos, and Logan questioned his feeling about what had happened. Of course, the three of them didn't believe their blonde friend, but for the most part, they dropped it. At that time, Logan really wanted to tell them what was going on with him and Rhuben, but he ultimately decided against it, because he knew they couldn't keep a secret (due to the best friends code) and Gustavo would easily find out. "But you know how stubborn Landy can be, besides, I just want her to be happy."

"It worked for us," Rhuben replied with a shrug.

"Actually," Logan blushed as he looked down at the floor. "I had a lot of pushing in that department, from the guys, and, I guess, indirectly from your brothers. And a _lot_ of subtle pushing from Landy now that I think about it."

Rhuben stayed silent for a few moments, pensive. "Logan-"

She was cut off by a loud banging sound from one of the doors further down the hallway. "Hey!" A voice called from the inside. "Is anyone out there? Cane you hear me? Let us out!"

"WayneWayne?" Logan shot Rhuben a confused look and the two raced down the hallway to the closed door. "WayneWayne, is that you?"

"Yes, it's me!" WayneWayne shot back, sounding irate. "Dak's in here with me, too."

"What happened?" Rhuben asked, kneeling down by the door and inspecting the doorknob. "How'd you get in there?"

"We were just walking back to your guys' dressing room after we were going to check out how much of the crowd had gotten here, and were just goofing around with Carlos, and the next thing you know, we bump into these three people and they hit us over the head and shoved us in here." Dak replied, sounding just as angry and annoyed as WayneWayne did.

"Well, how are you going to get us out of here?" WayneWayne demanded. "Last I checked, you need a key in the door handle to open-"

Rhuben suddenly whipped something out of her pocket and jammed it inside the doorframe next to the lock and moved it back and forth and up and down a few times. She let out a satisfying sound of triumph as the lock snapped back and the door opened. She then stood up and pulled the door back, allowing Dak and WayneWayne to walk out of the closet, holding onto the backs of their heads, muttering to themselves.

"Are you guys ok?" Rhuben asked.

"Let me see," Logan pushed Dak's hands away from his head and looked at the swollen knot that had appeared where he had been hit. He then tilted Dak's head back towards the light and looked into his eyes.

"Careful, dude, anyone would think that you're trying to make a move on me." Dak joked, mentioning how close they were.

Logan smirked. "You're not my type." He replied and took a step back. "Everything looks ok, you don't have a concussion. But take it easy at the show, alright?"

"Yeah, whatever you say." WayneWayne muttered, still rubbing his head, checking for blood. "Let me just tell you, whoever hit us knows what he was doing." He added as they started to walk back to the dressing room.

"I guess we _should _invest in more security." Logan muttered, voicing everyone's thoughts. "Oh," he turned to Rhuben, who had her hands in her pants pockets and was looking at the ceiling as they walked. "What were you saying earlier?" She raised her eyebrows in confusion. "You were about to tell me something." He insisted.

"It was nothing."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So what did you think of this chapter? I wrote this chapter five different ways, and I'm still not satisfied with the way that it came out. **

**I'm trying to make Carlos a major character, but so far it's not really working, what do you think of him in this chapter? Jo, Camille, and Stephanie getting even more scared with the death threats. Dak and WayneWayne bumped into Austen, Braden, and Malice and threatening them, trying to scare them away. Next chapter you guys find out what's going on, so all warnings will start then. If anyone's confused, Dak and WayneWayne and Logan and Rhuben are on opposite ends of the hallway.**

**I don't know if you guys saw my tweets on our twitter for our (it's just DarkElements10) but I have changed a few things about this story. Instead of it being completely driven with the Kiley and Lella pairings, I changed it so it's mostly driven with the Jackson's past and their friendship with BTR while the Kiley and Lella pairings have been moved to the back-driving plot/characterization. **

**I did this for two reasons; 1. I felt that if I wanted the pace of the story to increase with the action and everything, I wouldn't be spending nearly as much time on the pairings as everything else and 2. Because I feel that I write better stories when a lot of it has to do with friendships than relationships realistically (although I also think that I can do romance scenes pretty well). **

**Anyway, the other thing I changed is that this story is only going to be 20 chapters long. I originally intended it to be a really long story, but I don't want it to drag out any further than it needs to be. And because you guys are going to find out what's going on in the next chapter, everything is going to move faster. But that also means that this story is almost over, with 11 chapters left. **

**You'll see more of the adults and Sydney starting the next chapter.**

**Thanks to **_BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan, MysticMelody101, DarkElements-Jackson-Fan, Rage-Against-Time, 2lazy2signin, shotinthedark, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, Jenna, Rayna, youspinmelikearecord, Got2LiveItBigTime, BigTimeFan-'10_** for reviewing.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles **

**I'm sorry; I've got to rant a little bit. I HATE how some of the "most popular" fics in the BTR are section are the ones that have a lot of sex in them, and the kind of sex that isn't written well, just the hardcore lemon stuff. If you took that and all of the slash out (I don't have anything against BTR Slash, but it's not my favorite thing), then I think that a lot of good writers would actually have the spotlight/get the attention that they deserve. Which brings me to my point that unless I feel that it is important to one of my characters' relationships; I'm not writing about anybody having sex. I haven't experienced it (I'm not afraid to say I'm a virgin) so I wouldn't know how to write it very well, my attempts in WFLTIII: Here and Now and I'm With You were ok at best (at least I think so) and I don't think that I should write it when I'm against it. (Like I said, unless it's really important to a characters' characterization/relationship). The world doesn't revolve around sex and neither do the sections. I'm sorry, but I really needed to say that.**


	10. All Downhill From Here

**.:Chapter Ten – All Downhill From Here:.**

**All warnings of the story start in this chapter.**

* * *

><p>"Classes are going great," Brittany stated with an excited smile. "I'm even taking this one class that instead of actually sitting in a class room, they let us go out into the city to get some learning experience that way."<p>

She looked at the adults, and Logan, who were sitting at the Knight's kitchen table with her and Julius. The other kids had gone to the Knight's living room and could be heard shouting something at the TV and at each other. Logan, on the other hand, decided to stay at the table while the adults finished eating slowly (except for Gustavo who was already on his fifth plate) talking about the music industry and Julius' and Brittany's classes. He had two reasons for this: one; he wanted to know what college (or uni as Julius and Brittany called it) was like in Australia, and because he wanted to try and talk to the adults about his suspicions with the Jacksons before he talked to his friends.

If he talked to his friends first, he knew that they would just storm in and demand what was going on, backing the Jacksons into a corner, which would probably cause them to shut down even more. So he wanted to see what they had to say about it, as well as whether or not they had noticed that something was going on. That way, all of them could ask what was up before something _really_ bad happened.

"And it's no surprise that it's the only class that she's getting an 'A' in," Julius joked with a smile. To Logan, it more resembled a smirk, which solidified the fact that he was related to Riley, Rhuben, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney.

_That and the fact that he looks exactly like Sydney does, except with darker blue hair dye and no dimples in his cheeks. _Logan thought to himself with a fond smile. "What classes are _you _taking, Julius?"

"Heh heh," Julius let out a nervous laugh as he glanced over at Ronan. "You see, I don't really know." He quickly continued as Ronan shot him an odd look. "I mean, I'm so busy with football in the fall, basketball in the winter, and lacrosse in the spring, and it all blends together so much that I do my homework, whatever is assigned, and try to stay awake in my classes."

Brittany rolled her eyes, lightly hitting Julius on the arm. "And yet, he manages to get 'A's in everything without even trying."

Julius just shrugged modestly.

"But there has to be _something_ you don't like about it," Mrs. Knight commented with a knowing smile. "I don't believe that you like everything about school. Even Kendall and Katie have something to complain about the PalmWoods School and they only go there for four hours a day."

"Well," Julius hesitated, looking towards the ceiling. But when he looked back at the adults again, he looked a little sad. "The only thing I really have to complain about is not being able to see my family." He shrugged again. "Even if they're home, I hardly have time to come visit; you know what I'm saying? And I can't help but think they're mad at me for it."

"It would make sense as to why they've been acting somewhat hostile lately," Kelly commented, grabbing Julius' and Brittany's attention. She turned to Logan, whose eyes widened. "That's what you wanted to talk about, right?" Logan nodded silently. "We noticed it too," she motioned to herself, Mrs. Knight, Gustavo, and Ronan, who nodded. "And we can't really pinpoint what's going on." She looked at Gustavo. "He might now show it, but he's worried too."

"How can I _not _be worried?" Gustavo actually sounded concerned. "I mean, they're directly related to BTR. If they get depressed over something, then it's not much longer until BTR are depressed, and I can't have that."

"In his own way, that means that he's worried." Ronan reassured Julius and Brittany, who raised their eyebrows.

"But it's obvious that you're the one that's most worried," Logan observed. "With Mama Knight right after that. It makes sense," he continued. "You just adopted them, and they were your really good friends before, so you're feeling alienated that they're not talking to you about what's bothering them when before they always went to you. And then with Mrs. Knight," he nodded over at her. "You've become their 'Mama Knight' too, kind of like a mother figure to them, but a friend as well."

He sat as he watched their reactions, waiting to see if they would say something. All of them looked pensive, but he wasn't stupid; he knew that they each had their own suspicions about what could possibly be going on with them. And he knew that they also had one common idea as to what it could be: Robert Jackson.

"Last I checked, Robert wasn't getting out of jail anytime soon," Kelly finally spoke up. "And he hasn't been calling any of them."

_Maybe he's the one that's been texting them. _Logan suddenly had the jarring thought. _It would make sense as to why Riley and Rhuben are constantly on their phones and wouldn't allow anyone to know who they were actually texting. _Logan kept his eyes up as he slowly moved his hand to his pocket where he had Riley's phone. He had fully intended to give it back, but now he had a strong feeling to hold onto it a bit longer and to see if he could find anything on it. His cheeks flushed as he thought about it. _If she finds out, she'll probably hate you for invading her privacy…I guess I'll check with the guys to know what to do before I give it back._

"I know that," Ronan rubbed a hand around his mouth, blinking rapidly; something he always did when he was deep in thought. "I've been keeping tabs on him to make sure that that wasn't going to happen. But-"

"But the guy's fucking shifty as hell," Gustavo interrupted. "You may want to keep checking. I know him, there's got to be a way that he can get around those laws."

"We understand that you hate him, Gustavo," Mrs. Knight said soothingly, reaching out and touching his hand. "But letting your anger get the best of you isn't going to help us."

"No, it makes sense," Julius said after a moment. Logan looked over at him and was surprised to see that he looked calm, not angry like the other adults. Logan finally understood why his siblings admired him so much, because he was the calm one of the family, and the one that they seemed to turn to when they were having trouble. He had heard them on the phone with him at least once a day, so it wasn't that shocking. "It's like Gustavo said, Robert is shifty as hell, and almost everyone that ever met him was put off by how intense he was." He put an arm around Brittany's shoulders, protectively.

Logan felt jealous at that moment, the two of them could show that they were together as much as they wanted, and Logan didn't have a choice but to keep hiding that he was in a relationship with Rhuben. It was getting harder and harder to keep it from his friends, as they were starting to become really suspicious about everything he did lately. He knew that he was going to have to tell them soon.

"You may want to look up on that, Ronan," Julius added. "I'll try to get a straight answer out of them later, but I don't think that will work," he turned to Logan. "I think it would be better if you and your friends tried talking to them."

"Why us?" Logan asked. That was exactly what he wanted, but at the same time, he wasn't sure if he would be able to handle what the truth was.

"You're their best friends," Brittany replied as if it was obvious. "Anyone can see that, I knew that even before I met all of you, because they talk about you a _lot_. We're all concerned, but they might think we're attacking them if us adults try and talk to them. It would be better if you sat them down and clearly asked them what was going on. Plus, it would give Ronan some peace of mind."

Logan looked over at Ronan and could see how upset the older man was. Even though he was so laid back, Ronan always wore his heart on his sleeve; and right now, Logan could see that he was truly upset and confused.

"We'll do our best." Logan agreed with a nod as he stood up, pushing his chair back. He slid his hands into his pockets, his right hand instinctively wrapping around Riley's phone. "We'll try to talk to them soon." With that, he walked out of the kitchen and into the living room, smiling as he watched Kendall try to fend off Carlos and James, who were leaning over the couch, trying to grab the remote from Kendall's hands.

Kendall was yelling for them to get off of him and James and Carlos were yelling that they were guests and that they should watch whatever they wanted. Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, and WayneWayne were yelling their encouragement while the Jacksons were laughing.

"Uh, what are you doing?" Logan asked as he walked into the living room, looking at all of them.

"Kendall wanted to watch the hockey game and James and Carlos wanted to watch something on MTV, so they're fighting over the remote." Katie replied with a roll of her eyes, although she was laughing along with her friends. "I don't know how much longer the fight will last, but my money is on Carlos and James to win." She then turned to Patrick and Noah. "Do you guys want to play some video games in the basement?"

"Yeah, sure," Noah smiled and nodded and the three disappeared downstairs.

"Oh," Logan shrugged, shaking his head a little bit before turning to Riley and Rhuben. "Do you guys want to watch a movie or something? Mama Knight said earlier that we could-"

"Sorry, but we can't." Riley replied slowly. "We have something that we need to do.

Logan looked at his other friends and knew that they were pretending to ignore what was going on. Kendall had managed to push Carlos off of him and changed it to MTV just to appease them. But to make it seem like they weren't listening, he had turned up the volume a little bit.

"You don't want to hang out?" Logan asked, looking concerned. "It's Friday, we always hang out together." He motioned between himself, Rhuben, and Riley. "Plus, my mom wants us all to come over for dessert."

"We know," Riley replied with a nod. "But we have something to do; and we can all go when we get back, it won't be long." She looked over at Rhuben, who was very subtly nodding towards the door to the front door, silently telling her that they needed to leave right then or something bad would happen. They moved towards the foyer, Logan following them. "Plus, I heard that it's better to digest a bit before you actually eat dessert…"

"Um," Logan stopped her with the one word. "Does this have anything to do-, I mean, I know that you and your brothers-, well I'm not sure if-"

"Whoa, wait a second," Rhuben held up her hands, turning to Logan. "What makes you think this has to do with dad?"

"You think this has to do with Dad?" Riley asked at the same time.

"This has nothing to do with dad!" "Why'd you even bring him up?"

"And _this_ is why you don't get a set of twin girls mad at you," Logan noted to himself, suddenly realizing that he had backed himself into a corner. _Geez, I knew they were perceptive, but that's just ridiculous._ "Or mention their abusive fathers."

"Logie-Bear," Riley turned back around, hurt evident throughout her face. "I _swear_ this has nothing to do with my bastard of a..." She paused. "Thing." She said finally. She then reached forward and punched Logan on the arm, causing him to wince and scowl at her. "You're dead if you ever mention him again."

"Well, you don't have to be so irrational about it, Landy," Logan replied, rubbing his arm.

"I'm not irrational," Riley was suddenly strangely calm. "When I'm irrational, I get violent." Logan's eyes widened and she let out a peal of laughter. "I'm kidding Logie." She looked serious. "Contrary to popular belief, I'm not violent in any way, I may get mad at times and I may be defensive, but I'm not violent."

"Then why can't you hang out?" Logan asked, looking back and forth between both girls. "Really, what's going on?"

"Nothing." Rhuben sounded exasperated. "Seriously, Logan, why don't you believe us when we tell you that there's nothing going on?"

"Oh, gee, I don't know," Logan suddenly looked mad as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Maybe because we noticed that you guys are acting the _exact same way _that you did when you were trying to hide your abuse. _Excuse me_ for being a bit upset and worried about my best friends," he looked at Riley and then turned to Rhuben. "And my girlfriend."

"You don't have to worry," Riley moved forward and voluntarily gave him a hug, resting her cheek on his shoulder. She shifted her head so she could look at him. "Whatever's going on, not that there is anything, it's not a big deal."

"Yeah, that was believable," Rhuben said, raising an eyebrow, she had slowly started to move away towards the door as well.

"Shut up, Rhubes," Riley replied in a sigh. "Anyway, what we're doing is a surprise." She backed away from Logan and towards the door again. "Everyone's going to love it when we can show it to you, trust me."

"Well," Logan looked like he didn't believe her. "Ok. We'll see you later."

"Later," Riley flashed a smile over her shoulder before the twin girls slipped out the front door. "Tell Ronan that we'll be back soon." She stuck her head back in the door. "Oh, and let me know if you find my phone," she scratched her neck. "I haven't seen it since sometime yesterday."

"Later." Logan gave a short wave back. He turned back to walk to the living room, but jumped when he noticed that his friends had gotten up and were standing near the entrance of the foyer, looking right at him. "Hey," he said nervously. "What are you doi-"he suddenly paled, realizing that they had heard his whole conversation. "Listen, about me dating Bella, I-"

"Yeah, we actually already knew about that," James said with a snort, trying not to smile.

Logan was completely dumbfounded. He thought that he had been very careful about hiding his relationship with Rhuben. In fact, he was sure that he was being careful about it; they didn't seem to show that they knew about it. _How in the world had they known?_

"How did you-"

"Well, it was hard to figure out at first," Jo remarked with a smile. It was obvious that she was glad. She was the person that liked to try and push all of them together in some combination of a relationship. She had even gotten the nickname "The Matchmaker" from the girls and Patrick and Noah because of it. "But then after a while, we realized that you were acting happier than usual."

"You were smiling a _lot_ more than usual," Stephanie chimed in. "Even in your sleep."

"Yeah," Dak agreed, trying not to laugh as well. "It didn't help that you were acting that way right _after_ I talked to you about asking her out. And then you seemed to find any excuse to leave the room after she did, so it wasn't hard to figure out that you were dating in secret."

"Bu-"Logan blushed, now thoroughly embarrassed. "Rhu and I were being so careful-"

"You're right," Camille broke in. "Rhuben was being careful, you wouldn't be able to tell with her because she was acting exactly the same, but you made it very obvious." She exchanged glances with Stephanie. "Especially since you were the one that can't lie in the first place and you were jumpy and got all nervous anytime the guys asked you a question."

"Oh," Logan blinked and then turned to the guys, expecting them to yell at him. "Well, I wasn't trying to keep it from you, she was the one that-"

"Don't worry about it," Kendall said, waving a hand. "I mean, sure we were pissed off at first, especially since you were neglecting the best friend code, but then after we had figured it out, we realized that it was probably that Rhuben didn't want you guys to show your relationship because of the press and because of the rule, so we decided to wait until you told us, so Gustavo wouldn't find out."

"Yeah, dude," James stood up and clasped Logan on the shoulder. "We got your back, and it was probably a good thing that you didn't say anything to Carlos, because he would have told Gustavo in a second." Logan didn't buy it completely, the way that James was holding onto his shoulder so tightly made him think that they were still really upset about his deceit, but he didn't want to talk about that now.

"Ok, well, there's something else that I need to tell you guys," Logan said, after taking a deep breath. "You know how Riley's been looking for her phone?" He nervously reached into his pocket and pulled out her iPhone with the red case.

"Dude," WayneWayne shot him a funny look. "You took her phone?"

"I didn't _take_ it," Logan defended himself. "Just yesterday Dak showed me that she had forgotten it in our dressing room, and I was going to give it to her but-"he willed himself not to smile as he thought about him and Rhuben making out. "I got distracted."

"Yeah, getting distracted by having to save us from a stupid supply closet." Dak said, gingerly rubbing the back of his head again.

"Anyway," Logan turned to Kendall. "I was talking to your mom and Ronan and them, and they seem to think that it could be Robert that's making them all freak out and that we should try to talk to them first before they got into it, just in case they felt like the adults were accusing them of something. I was going to give her her phone back, but then when they said that…"he held the phone out to him. "Anyway, if anyone said that we should just give the phone back, I figured you should do it."

"Why me?" Kendall asked.

"Because you're her friend more than Logan is," Sydney commented, causing the others to turn to him. He missed Logan's hurt look. "At least right now you are."

Sydney blinked from where he was standing at the edge of the group, more in the living room than the rest of them. He shrugged, shoving his hands into the pocket on the front of his sweatshirt. As soon as they had gotten to St. Paul, Minnesota for the tour, Mrs. Knight had taken the Jacksons out shopping for warmer clothes, as they didn't have any brought with them. (But that didn't keep them from trying to pretend that the cold didn't bother them; they shivered pathetically for over an hour, huddled together, before Patrick screamed that he hated the cold, and she drove them to the mall).

"How long have you been standing there?" WayneWayne asked, pushing the brim of his hat up off of his forehead. He shot a nervous look over to Logan.

_If he knows what we're doing with her phone, then he might try to warn her. _Logan looked back at WayneWayne, but didn't say anything.

"I never left," Sydney replied calmly. "Ri-Ri and Rhu-Rhu left, Sparky and Physic went down to the basement with Katie, and I've just been sitting here." He gave a half smile. "But don't worry a lot of people forget that I'm in the room when I'm observing." He raised an eyebrow as everyone exchanged glances once more. "You can't possibly think that I'm quiet because I like to be? No," he shook his head. "I like to watch people and see how they react to things; personally, I think it makes me smarter."

"Syd, you don't need to be smarter." Camille remarked, shaking her head. "You already put us to shame."

Sydney finally smiled, allowing dimples into his cheeks. "That's the plan," he remarked, a snobby hint to his tone. "And I must say it worked too." He cleared his throat and held out his hand. "You know that Ri's going to hit the fan if she finds out that you have her phone without telling her."

"But it might help us, Syd," Carlos reasoned, frowning down at the smarter boy. "Your sisters and brothers might be in trouble or something."

Sydney snorted. "It took you this long to find out that they're in trouble?" He turned to Logan. "Wow, and I thought you were a genius."

"Wait, they actually _are _in trouble?" Dak seemed to be a bit slow in the conversation.

Sydney rolled his eyes. "Yes, that's what I'm saying." He held up his hand as eager eyes turned to him. "I can't tell you what it is, because I don't even know what it is. But I know my brothers and sisters like the back of my hand and I know that something's going on."

Logan frowned and looked right at Sydney, who looked back at him. It took him a bit to figure out what he was looking for; whether or not he was lying. He knew that it was hard, if not impossible for Sydney to lie, so he wasn't sure why he would be lying now. _Unless he's trying to protect his brothers and sisters without trying to actually tell us what's wrong. _He looked over at his friends, who were looking at him as well.

"Really, that's all I know." Sydney concluded. "And I can get you into Riley's phone if she doesn't have her PIN and Password put up." He held his hand out expectantly.

"I don't know guys," Stephanie looked concerned. "We're going into her privacy, plus what happens if we do find out what's going on? What are we going to do?"

"I say we do it," Carlos spoke up, crossing his arms over his chest. "It's the only way that we're going to be able to help our friends and get back to normal." He looked like he was really emotional about something. "Do you know how long it's been since I've hung out with Patrick and Noah like I used to? I know it's kind of weird that I'm really close to them when they're two years younger than me, but we have a lot of fun when we're hanging out."

"It's not weird," Sydney piped up. "It's actually pretty normal. I mean, I'm friends with all of your guys for different reasons and that's not weird. Plus, you're going to be helping them better than I ever could, they'd listen to you."

"You've tried to stop whatever they're doing?" Jo asked him curiously. Sydney shot him an offended look. "You know what I mean, Syd."

"Yeah, I getcha, Joey." Sydney replied quietly. "Before you make your decision, if you _do_ find out, are you going to confront them immediately or talk to the adults first? Because you already know what the adults would do."

"What do you think?" James turned to Kendall, who looked like he hated being put on the spot right then and there. "I mean, you're the one that usually comes up with the ideas to help people, and our friends definitely need our help."

Kendall sucked in a deep breath through his nose. He was silent for a few moments, looking at the pictures on the wall around him of him, his mom, and his sister. Finally, he turned back to Logan. "Give him the phone," he instructed, tilting his head towards Sydney, who was still waiting patiently, his hand out. "If he can help, then we might as well get help."

Logan nodded and handed Sydney his sisters' phone. Sydney then inched forward, holding the phone out so everyone could watch as he pushed a button on the phone, illuminating the screen with a lock on it. He then pushed another button and 9 buttons appeared on screen. "To get through the security on Ri-Ri's phone, you push the four corner buttons," he did that and then another screen appeared. "And her password is her favorite number doubled."

"Which is?" Stephanie raised an eyebrow.

"1111," Logan replied after a second. "It's her favorite number and she's always wishing on 11:11 so…"he shrugged.

"He's right," Sydney nodded and inputted the numbers. "She's kind of superstitious like that." He put the numbers into the phone and then frowned. "And this is where I run into trouble." He sighed and held the phone out again. "Her PIN, it's another set of four numbers, I don't know what that is. We only give each other our security and passwords." He handed the phone to Kendall.

"Ok, think," WayneWayne started to crack his knuckles nervously. "What numbers could be her PIN."

"Try her birthday." James suggested and waited as Sydney punched in the numbers.

"No," Kendall shook his head. "Try another one."

"Try Patrick's birthday." James tried again. That didn't work either. Neither did Sydney's, Ronan's, or Julius'. They then tried random numbers that they could think of, that could correspond to something that Riley would want to put into her phone, but they still couldn't think of it.

Kendall quickly shoved the phone back into Logan's hand, who put it back in his pocket, when Katie, Patrick, and Noah suddenly appeared at the top of the stairs to the basement, saying that they were going to go out for a walk, so Katie could show them the outdoor hockey rink that the guys used to hang out at, as well as digesting the large dinner that Mrs. Knight had made.

"What's wrong?" Katie asked, looking at her brother. "You all look so pink and guilty."

"Nothing." Sydney replied smoothly. "I was just making fun of them about their hormones and all that," with that, he turned on his heel and went into the living room.

"Ok," Patrick replied slowly, exchanging a glance with Noah.

Logan noticed, but didn't say anything. _They know that Sydney wasn't telling the truth. What's he going to do if Patrick and Noah ask him what we were really talking about? I hope that Syd knows what he's doing; it will be hard to keep so many lies straight._

"Anyway, we're going to the hockey rink." Katie stated as she reached out to grab her coat.

"I don't know, "Kendall interrupted her, big brother mode coming on full force. "Even if you're with Patrick and Noah, I don't like the idea of you guys being out there by yourselves at this time of night."

"Kendall, that's not-"

"I'll go with them," Carlos offered as he grabbed his coat off of the banister. "Besides, I need some fresh air myself." He turned to Stephanie. "Are you coming too?"

"Nah," she shook her head. "I'm just going to hang out here with everyone else."

"Cool," Carlos leaned forward and gave her a kiss on the cheek. "I'll see you when I get back." He turned to Patrick, Katie, and Noah. "Come on guys." He then led them out the door and it slammed shut for the second time that night.

Logan then let out a heavy sigh and walked into the living room, ready to ask Sydney a question, but stopped when he got a good look at the TV. The young boy had changed it to the news and was staring at the screen intently. That wasn't weird; he had a habit of watching the news every night with Ronan before going off to watch sports and cartoons with everyone else.

But what caught his attention was that the newscaster was talking about how a teenage couple had been attacked that night and had been sent to the hospital with heavy cuts and bruises. He relaxed a little when the newscaster said that the attack was two counties away.

_That's odd, _Logan thought to himself, having his second epiphany of the night. _Every day since we've gone on tour, there's always been something on the news about something being attacked or murdered. That's way too much of a coincidence._

"Is something wrong, Logan?" Sydney asked, grabbing his attention.

Logan looked at him, the young boys' eyes burning into his. "Not yet," he replied after a moment.

* * *

><p>The night air was cold and damp. As they walked along, Riley's and Rhuben's breaths were visible in front of their faces. They shivered in their sweatshirts from the cold.<p>

"I still don't get how they're able to enjoy the fucking cold so much," Riley hissed. "It's the worst feeling in the world!" Rhuben stayed silent. She didn't speak until they reached the stop sign at the end of the street and Austen and Braden appeared moments later.

"What's wrong?" Rhuben asked, seeing the serious look in Austen's eyes almost immediately.

"We got movement from the Devil Dogs by the high school," Austen told her. "Everyone else is already on their wary over there," he reached out and grabbed Rhuben's hand, pulling it out and slapping a switchblade into her palm. "Take this; they don't have any guns on them."

"Not yet," Riley remarked as Braden handed her a switchblade as well.

"You guys go with Braden and cut them off," Austen instructed breathlessly. "Rumor has it there's another group by the ice rink, and I need to check that out."He started to run off down the street, two other figures following behind him. "Get going!" He called over his shoulder.

"Come on," Braden turned and started running down the street in the opposite direction that Austen had ran. "Candy, Axle, and Slash went with Austen, I've got you two, and Malice along with Jack, and they don't have that many people on their side."

"Are you sure?" Rhuben asked as she ran with him, taking off her sweatshirt and trying it around her waist.

"Jack's numbers don't lie," Braden snapped in reply.

"Belt up, Braden," Riley reached out and grabbed onto Bradin's arm, causing him to stop. "We're helping you, because you're helping us; don't put your head up your ass like a bastard. If you continue to act like this you're-"

"Don't fucking touch me!" Braden pushed Riley's hands off and then grabbed her wrists, holding onto them tight enough that she let out a cry of pain. "It's like you said, I'm helping _you_ to make sure _you_ don't get killed. So listen to what I have to say, and don't fucking give me that bullshit!" He pushed her away and started running again.

"Are you ok?" Rhuben asked Riley, who gingerly rubbed her wrists.

"I'll be fine." Riley replied with a nod and started after him, Rhuben following close behind. As they neared the high school that BTR used to go to, they could hear the sound of screams and grunts of pain; the battle of the gang war was underway.

As they raced onto the soccer field, members of both gangs were falling to the ground, screaming at each other and punching, kicking, and beating each other up.

"Fan out, and don't do anything stupid," Braden ordered before launching himself onto a nearby Devil Dog, who was only recognizable from the purple letterman's jacket he was wearing. Braden punched him across the face before kneeing him in the crotch. "Take that you fucking cocksucker!"

"Ah, we finally find those twin bitches that we were looking for."

Riley and Rhuben turned around to find Ally and Kelly, sisters and two members and some of the only girls of the Devil Dogs. Rhuben exchanged a glance with her sister, she used to wonder if they were really in the gang and believed everything the Devil Dogs were doing, but now that she saw the anger that was in those girls' eyes, and the fact that they were willing to go all the way to America to chase them around to get revenge, it answered her question.

"Shit," Riley muttered, taking a step back and falling into a fighting stance.

At that moment Ally lunged. She twisted her wrist, brandished her pocketknife and tried to stab Riley, but she backed from the knife too quickly for him to go after her again. Riley grabbed onto Ally's wrist and pulled her forward, making her bend over, off balance. Riley flipped the younger girl over her arm by pushing her arm down and back towards Ally. She landed, the air knocked out of her. Riley then grabbed onto her right foot, stretching it up to her side, and then let go, causing her leg to swing back down and hit Ally in the side. Ally cried out in pain, it mixing in with the other voices crying out in the battle. Ally then reached up and grabbed onto Riley's leg, knocking her over before rolling until she was on top of the raven-haired girl, punching her in the stomach.

Almost simultaneously as Ally had started to attack Riley, Kelly tackled Rhuben to the ground and the two started to scrap with each other. As Kelly pulled a hand back, ready to punch Rhuben in the face, Rhuben caught a glimpse of something flickering in the light, and recognized brass knuckles on Kelly's hand. She twisted her body to the side as Kelly punched down towards her face and brought her leg up, kicking Kelly in the back of the head.

"God," Kelly brought her hands up to her back of her head, and Rhuben shoved her off of her, quickly getting back to her feet. "You fucking cunt!"

Rhuben cracked her knuckles before bringing her arm back and swinging it forward, hitting Kelly right in the face, causing blood to erupt from her nose, along with a distinct cracking sound. Then the two girls were back on the ground again, throwing punch after punch.

The fight lasted for a half hour, every time someone from the Devil Dogs or Austen's gang had managed to get the upper hand, the other one managed to bring them back down again with a punch or a kick. They didn't dare stop, if they did, it would mean that they would lose the battle and the other side would have the upper hand in the war.

"Cops!" A distant voice yelled.

The teenagers leapt to their feet and scattered as fast as they could. Unfortunately some officers had spotted them and started to chase them as they ran.

"Braden!" Riley called over her shoulder. "Come on!"

"I'm good," Braden called back as he ran off in the opposite direction. "Just get back to your friends." He disappeared around the corner of the high school.

Riley and Rhuben ran as fast as they could until they reached the Knight's street. They slowed to a stop and checked each other under a street light, to make sure that their faces didn't show any signs of bruising before walking up the porch and going inside.

"Hey, we're back," Rhuben called as she walked through the foyer and into the living room. She looked around for a moment. "Where at St. Patrick, No, Kates, and CareBear?" She opened her arms and gave Sydney a hug as he raced over to the two girls. She tried not to grimace as he did so.

"They went for a walk," Kendall replied, making sure not to look at his friends as he got up from the couch. "I found your phone," he reached into his pocket and walked over to Riley, holding it out. "It got in one of our bags somehow." He added lamely.

"Thanks," Riley's eyes lit up as she grabbed it from him. "I've been looking everywhere for it!" She looked at Rhuben out of the corner of her eye, an overwhelming feeling of guilt washing over her. _Geez, they really know how to make it hard to do everything you can to protect them. _"Listen, I know I don't say this to you guys enough, but you're awesome you know that?" She looked up at him. "You're, like, my best friends, you know?"

"Yeah," Kendall swallowed thickly. "I know."

* * *

><p>"So this is the hockey rink that you guys used to play on every day?" Noah asked as he walked towards the ice, reaching out a foot and gingerly stepping on it. "I can't imagine why, one crack and you're under water."<p>

"Are you always this paranoid?" Katie asked with a giggle.

"Yeah, he's always been like that," Patrick stated as he slung his arm around her shoulders. "Trust me, you'll get used to it."

Noah smirked as he turned from the ice, facing his twin brother. "Better than jumping into everything, Mr.-I-Don't-Think-At-All."

Patrick stuck his tongue out in reply, moving his arm from around Katie's shoulders and shoving his hands into his jeans pockets, shivering as he looked around. He then turned to Carlos, who was standing by the ice, quietly. "Hey man," he walked over to Carlos and placed a hand on his shoulder. "Are you ok?"

"Yeah," Carlos replied with a sigh. "I just miss this, you know? Ever since we started Big Time Rush, we've slowly been losing our four hockey players from Minnesota vibe and it's really starting to get me down." He turned to his friends. "Especially being back here. We haven't played hockey in a really long time."

"Hey, don't worry about it," Noah reassured him. "Things will get better, you're just so busy right now, you haven't had enough down time to play hockey." He smiled. "Just wait for things to settle. Trust me; I know what I'm talking about."

"No you don't," Katie shook her head. "You don't want them to start playing hockey again, once they start, they won't stop. And then it will be hard for you guys to bring them back in line again when you're working with them after the tour is over."

Noah chuckled. "Be that as it may, I think they deserve it." He licked his chapped lips before rubbing his hands together. "Did it get colder out here?"

"You guys just aren't used to the cold." Carlos said with a laugh as the turned from the ice rink.

"No, that's not it," Patrick denied. "We _hate_ the cold." He shivered hard and then blushed as Katie started to laugh at him. "Can we go back to the house now, please?"

"Yeah," Carlos slapped Patrick on the arm and ruffled his hair before he started to walk away from the ice rink, "Let's get going." He stopped when he spotted two teenagers dressed in purple letterman's jackets in front of him. "Hey dudes, what's up?"

"So, it's true," the tallest boy said. "The DarkElements really are here in Minnesota." His upper lip curled. "Can't say I'm happy about that."

"Hey, leave them alone," Katie frowned.

"Dude, just leave it," Patrick started to nudge Katie out of the way, moving to go around them. He stopped, though, when the teenagers started jeering again.

"So are the rumors true?" the shorter one asked. "I've always wanted to know. Did you really get hit by your old man?" He shook his head, as if showing some sympathy. "If I was your dad and you were making that crap music, I would have hit you as well."

Katie opened her mouth to say something, her eyes flashing angrily, but Noah shot her a look in reply, warning her not to say anything. "They're just haters, forget about them." He said to her.

"Do you have a problem with my friends?" Carlos demanded. "I'm not going to have you talk to them that way!"

"Carlos, leave it alone."

"It's just as well," the taller one shrugged, turning to the smaller one again. "I mean, obviously their dad didn't believe that they deserved to live either." Patrick and Noah froze at that. "They should have just gone down in flames with their parents. None of them deserve to live, not these two, not their younger brothers, and definitely not their sisters."

Noah sucked in a sharp breath and turned to Patrick, who was already looking back at him. The two seemed to have a silent conversation before they turned back to the teenage boys. Patrick let out a short chuckle before he and Noah leapt forward and jumped onto the teenage guys, punching them in the face.

"Whoa!" Carlos cried, his eyes growing wide. He moved forward and grabbed onto Patrick's arms. "Dude, stop! Stop! Stop!" He managed to wrench Patrick off of the guy before turning to Noah and grabbing onto him as well and wrenching him off the shorter teenager. "Knock it off!" Noah backed up a few steps, holding onto his eye.

"You're going to pay for that," the taller boy scowled and he and his companion ran off.

"Oh my gosh," Katie cried, finally able to move again. As soon as the fight started, she seemed to freeze in place. _I've never seen them get so angry before. Not like that. It was really scary. _She hesitantly took a step towards Patrick, who looked pissed off. "Are you ok?" she asked tentatively, reaching out a hand to touch his arm.

"I'm fine!" Patrick roughly pulled his arm away from her. Katie lowered her gaze to her feet.

"We should get some ice on your eye, dude," Carlos said to Noah, looking at his rapidly swelling face. He then cracked a smile. "Or some snow." He added, causing Noah to crack a smile. "Let's get you back to the house; I'm sure that Mama Knight can do something to help."

They left the ice rink and walked back to the Knight's house in complete silence. Carlos wasn't sure what to say, and Katie didn't want to say anything that would cause them to snap at her again. It made her feel like dirt, even though she knew they didn't mean it that way.

Of course, the fact that they had gotten into a fight couldn't have been hidden from their friends as soon as they had gotten back.

"What happened?" Camille gasped as she hurried over to the twin boys, noticing Patrick's red hands and Noah's black eye. "Are you ok?" She pulled the two of them into the light of the living room before tilting Noah's head back to look at the swollen skin as everyone else gatehred around. "What happened?"

"We're fine, Camille," Patrick gently pushed her away as he went to join his friends, sitting on the floor. "We just got into a fight with some haters. They were saying some things about our family that we didn't agree with."

"Mom," Kendall called as he got up from the couch. "I need the first aid kit!" He disappeared into the kitchen where the others could hear him telling his mother what had happened.

"Katie," Carlos grabbed the young girls' attention. "I think I've figured out what's going on," Carlos said to her as they put their coats up on the banister. Katie turned to look at him, her eyes wide. "I think they're drug-dealers."

"They're what?"

Carlos and Katie looked up to see that the adults had entered the living room and he hadn't heard him. Gustavo was then looking their way, an unrecognizable look on his face. He looked over at Katie, who had sucked her lips into her mouth, looking completely torn on what to say.

"Uh," Carlos stalled for time, trying to figure out what to say. _I can't tell him what I think before I talk to Kendall. That would cause way too many problems and accusations. Oh, Logan and Rhuben are going to hate me for this. _"I said, I think Logan and Rhuben are dating."

He winced as soon as the words came out of his mouth.

* * *

><p>"Hey guys, I'm going to go right to sleep," Ronan said as he and the Jacksons stepped back into their hotel room after dropping Brittany off at her own hotel room. "All that food and excitement has made me tired." He turned to Rhuben, placing a comforting hand on her head. "How are you feeling, kid?"<p>

"Like I still want to scream." She replied with a wry smile before giving him a hug. "Good night, Ronan."

"Good night guys."Julius then gave each of his siblings a hug.

"Night," Sydney replied, as cheerful as ever, as if nothing had gone on that night. He waited until they had gotten into their rooms before turning back to his older siblings. "That was the perfect chance to tell them." He said gently.

"What? That Logan and I are dating?" Rhuben asked as Noah went over to the sink to get the first-aid kit. "I think they already know, because Gustavo blew a gasket over it." She shook her head. "I knew that Logan was going to tell them eventually, but I also knew that Carlos can't keep a secret to save his life."

"That's not what I meant." Sydney couldn't help but smile.

"I know, Little Man, I was just trying to lighten the mood." Rhuben replied as Noah handed her a roll of gauze.

"Are you mad at him?" Noah asked her.

"At Carlos?" Rhuben replied and he nodded. Rhuben shook her head. "No, if anything, it caused a lot of stress to be taken off, so I'm actually glad that he said something."

"And you could take off even more stress if you told Ronan," Sydney wouldn't let up.

"Oh, so you wanted us to just go and say 'Hey Ronan, Rhuben and I used to be in a gang, but as soon as we got into our music we quit." Riley snorted. "But now there's a gangway with our gang and another one and that other gang wants us dead so badly that they're willing to kill everyone around us to make our deaths look like an accident." She paused, taking the time to collect another breath. "So when you think something is wrong, you're right. Every night for who knows how long, Rhuben and I have been talking to our gang leader, Austen, who also just so happens to be Rhuben's ex-boyfriend, to try and get them to keep our friends safe, while we go and beat the crap out of the other gang so our friends don't get hurt and we get hurt in the process."

She spoke more to herself now. "Yeah, _that'll _go over smoothly." Riley let out a sigh as Sydney took a roll of gauze from Noah and then walked over to Riley, wrapping it around her stomach and ribs. "Syd, you grow up too fast, you know that." She commented, loving running her fingers through his hair. "I wish you didn't have to do this."

"I don't," Sydney replied as he fastened the bandage in place. "But you're my sister and I love you, so I'm going to." He then gently wrapped his arms around her waist and tilted his head back, sticking out his lips. Riley smiled and bent down, giving him a light peck. "Besides, I know that this is going to be over soon."

"You know what Syd, I think I found one of your flaws," Noah piped up. "You're way too overconfident for my liking. It's a real pain in the ass."

"You owe me two dollars in the potty-mouth jar," Sydney reminded him.

Patrick laughed. "That's annoying too."

Riley chuckled. Patrick looked at her before walking over and giving her a hug, resting his chin on her head. "This gang business is really starting to become a pain in the ass."

Riley snorted. "You're telling me."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Alright, now you guys know what's going on and why they haven't told the boys yet. At least Sydney has given a big hint to his friends that they're in over their heads, but of course he wouldn't tell him the exact reason why. I don't think that they can fully admit it out loud, because it would just make things more real for them. And now the adults are brought into it. Next chapter will show a lot of everyone, I needed to do more of the adults here to balance more of the teens in the last chapter. **

**I'm sure you guys would have liked to see Mrs. Mitchell, Mrs. Diamond, and Mrs. Garcia in this story, but I refrained against it because they aren't needed. Mr. Garcia, maybe, but not the other mothers/fathers. Plus, Gustavo blowing up at Logan and Rhuben wasn't important as well as the romance isn't the main point of the story, the friendship is.**

**What do you think? Did you guys know what I had planned this whole time? **

**Only ten chapters left, and the drama is just starting.**

**Thanks to **_shotinthedark, Jenna, LogieLuvr914, MysticMelody101, youspinmelikarecord, Rage-Against-Time, Got2LiveItBigTime, KrisJo, BigTimeFan-'10, 2lazy2signin, DarkElements-Jackson-Fan, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, Rayna, BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan_** for reviewing.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	11. Still Frame

.:**Chapter Eleven – Still Frame:.**

**A/N: This chapter s more of a filler because I lost a bit of inspiration, but it's still very important. It's shorter than the others, just so you know.**

* * *

><p>"Hey, could you pass me some more letters?" Patrick asked, wiping his hands off on the sides of his jeans. He cracked his knuckles as he waited for someone to respond.<p>

"Ask in Spanish, and I will." Riley replied, holding onto a stack of envelopes in her hand. Patrick groaned, rolling her eyes, causing Riley to give a disinterested look. "Hey, you haven't practiced in a while and you need to make sure you don't forget anything."

Kendall laughed quietly to himself from where he was sitting amongst his own packages and letters. He could tell from the look on Patrick's face that he would rather do anything than practice Spanish; but he supposed that was what happened when you were homeschooled. That was part of the reason that Kendall liked going to the PalmWoods so much, they had people of all ages in their class so that their work was never really that difficult.

Patrick looked up at the ceiling for a second, thinking, and then looked at his sister. "¿Podría pasarme las letras un poco más?"

"Is that right?" Noah whispered, leaning his chin on Riley's shoulder. His eyes showed intense confusion that easily mirrored the expression on Riley's face.

"I don't know," Riley shrugged, looking just as lost. "I don't speak Spanish." She replied with a half smile. Sydney laughed and nodded and Riley handed the pile of letters over to her brother.

BTR, DE, and their friends were sitting in the lounge area of the tour bus, going through their fan-mail. Because it was Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, and WayneWayne's last day of hanging out with them on tour before they had to go back to their own careers (and a while before BTR and DE did their final show back in LA) they decided to help them sort through their fan-mail and gifts. But of course they wouldn't have fun with it. Carlos started it out by saying that he was sure that he would have the most letters out of everyone, and by that time, they were all comparing the gifts that they had gotten from their fans.

"Ooh," Carlos beamed as he unwrapped a box and pulled out a tub of cookies. "Homemade cookies!" He opened the tub and stuck his hand in, grabbing one. "This is going to be-"

"Don't eat that!" Rhuben interrupted. Carlos looked like a wounded puppy as he lowered the cookie from his mouth, a questioning look in his eye. "Rules are you're not allowed to eat food that hasn't been store-bought and unopened."

"Why?" Logan asked, raising his eyebrows. "What harm can a cookie do?"

"You'd be surprised," Dak said as he grabbed one of James' larger envelopes and started to tear it open. "Recently all managers in the music industry have been saying not to eat any of the things that aren't store bought because someone could want to cause you harm." He shrugged. "They could have stuck razor blades in it, poison, some kid of bomb, you never know." He turned his attention back to the object in his hands. "Congratulations, James, you've got _another_ set of boxer-briefs." He stretched the elastic over his thumb and sling-shot the underwear onto James' head.

"That's a good look for you, James," Jo teased, turning from looking out the bus window. She giggled as she lightly tapped him on the head. "You should wear it more often."

"Not when it messes up my hair." James replied as he pulled the underwear off of his head and tossed it into the floor. He then whipped out his lucky comb and started to pull it through his brown locks, making sure they fell across his forehead in just the right place.

"Check it out," Noah smiled as he held up two ping-pong paddles in his hands. "We got some more ping-pong stuff."

"That would be great to use," Katie commented with a nod as she took them from his hands and looked them over herself. "If we actually had a ping-pong table to play it on." She then suddenly looked thoughtful as an evil grin slid onto her face. "But since you touched it, I _could_ get this for-"

"You're not selling these!" Sydney declared as he leaned forward on his knees and grabbed them from her hands. "You never know when we're going to need them."

"Besides, I thought I told you to stop trying to make money off of our friends." Kendall added with a disapproving frown.

"Technically, wouldn't that be what we're doing?" Rhuben asked with a teasing smile as she briefly glanced up from her letter. She smacked Patrick's hand away from her lap as he tried to grab a package of Reese's Peanut Butter Cups that she had just received. "I mean, since we've been hired by Gustavo to help you."

"True," Kendall stated as he placed his hands behind his head as he crossed his ankles. "The only difference is that you're not related to me, so I can't hold it against you."

"No, you could," Stephanie commented as she lowered her digital camera from her eye. "And you could probably get a lot of cool stuff from it. Like," she turned and winked towards Jo, Camille, and Stephanie before turning back to the Jacksons. "I don't know, you could possibly get-"

"For the 20th time Steph," Noah sounded patiently, although he was smirking. "We can't get you a date with Roshon Fegan." He tilted his head to the side as everyone else started to laugh. "Besides, you're already dating Carlos."

"Shh," Stephanie leaned forward and pressed her hands over Carlos' ears, effectively keeping him from hearing what she wanted to say. "He doesn't need to know about it. It'll be a quiet thing."

"Yeah," WayneWayne commented, crossing his arms over his chest. "Up until it gets into the tabloids, then you're going to regret that."

Kendall laughed along with his friends, brushing his hair out of his face. His smile waned a little as he looked around at his friends. It really bugged him how they were acting like nothing was wrong. He wanted nothing more than to just come right out and ask the questions that they were all pretending not to think about: _What's really going on? Why are you guys in trouble? What are you running away from? Why won't you talk to us? _But he knew that it would just cause the Jacksons to get upset and pull away even more. For the past couple of days things had been getting better, the Jacksons had definitely been happier and more outgoing, more so than usual. He couldn't say that he didn't like that; things were so much better when everyone was happy. Hell, he lived for the fact that his friends were happy and would do anything to make sure that it was possible.

_How much longer can we keep this up before one of us cracks? _Kendall thought to himself as he rubbed his chin with his hand. _How much longer can we ignore the elephant in the room? Sydney basically told us that there's something going on, and we know that they're in trouble, but they won't tell us anything. It's so fucking frustrating._

"Kendall, are you ok?" James asked as Katie nudged him in the side. He turned his eyes to his friend, noticing the concerned expression on his face. "You've been really quiet today. What?" He gave a short laugh. "Did the Minnesota Wild lose or something?"

"Please," Kendall snorted. "If that were the case, you would know from my agonized screams."

"Either that or you just found out that Carlos broke your favorite hockey stick and stuck it under his bed at the Palm Woods hoping that you would never find out." WayneWayne stated and then his eyes widened in feigned surprise as he turned to Carlos, whose eyes had widened as well, but in fear. "Oops, was I _not_ supposed to tell him that. I'm sorry!"

"Yeah, you really sound sorry." Rhuben shot back, folding up a letter and putting it aside. "You sound more like you're going to barrack at a football game or something."

"Sound like you're going to…what?" Logan repeated, his nose wrinkling.

Rhuben looked up at him and gave a soft smile. She chuckled and brought her hair behind her ears. "In a nutshell, I said that he sounds more like he's going to be cheering at a sports game than sorry."

"Oh," Logan nodded and ran his tongue over his teeth as he looked at all of the Jacksons, who were reading some more letters. "Just out of curiosity, what languages do you guys speak? I mean, besides English."

"I thought they spoke Australian." Carlos stated, looking confused and slowly inching away from Kendall, who was still glaring at him. Katie slapped herself on the forehead as Dak and WayneWayne turned and gave Carlos incredulous looks. Carlos turned from Kendall and noticed the vacant stares turned his way. "What?" He asked, becoming self conscious.

"Carlos," Sydney spoke slowly. "We speak English. What _you're_ thinking of is Aussie slang." He nodded slowly, encouraging Carlos' train of thought before turning back to Logan. "All of us speak English, obviously Aussie slang, and Japanese. Julius, Riley, Rhuben, and Noah also speak French from schooling. Patrick speaks Spanish from schooling, and I speak a bit of all of them." He gave a modest shrug.

"Wait," Camille looked confused for a second. "You speak Japanese?" She looked impressed as Noah nodded. "Fluently?"

"Our mom was Japanese-American so…" he shrugged and then sat up straight his eyes widening when he noticed the looks turned his way. "You _didn't_ know that?" He turned and exchanged looked with his siblings. "I'm sorry but I thought that was common sense."

"That you speak Japanese?"

"No, that we're part Japanese." Noah replied gave a funny look. "We're a third American, a third Japanese, and a third Australian." He looked apologetic. "Sorry, I thought you guys knew that."

_Yeah, but what else have you kept from us that you thought was common sense? _Kendall started to zone out again. He couldn't help it; he was starting to get angry because he had a feeling that he was the only one that was willing to outright care about the inner turmoil that his friends were obviously going through. _I don't get how they can just sit here and pretend that everything is ok when it's definitely not. _If anyone had to say what Kendall's biggest character flaw would be, it would be the fact that he never left anything alone, even if he was told to do so numerous times.

Kendall was dwelling so much on it that he hadn't noticed when his friends had gone to go play some video games. In fact, he was still sitting on the floor of the bus, surrounded by his letters when Katie had gone back to them, about twenty minutes later.

"Kendall?" She asked, waving a hand in front of his face. "Kendall!" When Kendall didn't acknowledge her, she grabbed onto the collar of his shirt and started to shake him back and forth. "Kendall, snap out of it!"

"What?" Kendall blinked and turned back to his baby sister. "Katie, why are you shaking me?" Kendall gently pushed Katie's hands away from his shirt. "You're stretching my shirt out."

"Sorry bro," Katie sat down on the ground next to him. "But you've really been acting weird. What's going on?"

Kendall turned and gave her a withering look. "What do you _think's_ going on, Katie?" he demanded. He let out an incredulous laugh and ran his hands through his hair. "I don't get it," he burst out. "How can you and everyone else just sit there and act like nothing's wrong when we know that our friends are in trouble and we don't know why?"

"Maybe, for once, we want things to be fun." Katie snapped back, losing her temper almost as quickly as Kendall was. She hated to be yelled at and she hated to see her brother upset. But what bugged her the most was when Kendall was upset _and _yelling at her. It just showed her that he was taking his anger and frustration out on someone that was weaker than him, like he always did when things didn't go the way he wanted it to. "You know, instead of things always being so tense and dramatic."

"But that's just completely stupid!" Kendall twisted his fingers. "Acting like nothing is going on is just going to screw things up in the long run."

"Continuing to accuse them of things is going to screw things up in the long run." Katie shot back. "Maybe nothing's even going on. Have you even thought of that?" She didn't let Kendall answer the question. "Maybe we're all jumping to conclusions and nothing is going on at all."

"Oh yeah," Kendall looked skeptical. "Then what about what Sydney told us? That his brothers and sisters are in trouble?" After the Jacksons had gone back to their hotel when they were back in Minnesota, Kendall had told Katie what Sydney had told them. She didn't say anything when he told her; she just slowly nodded, as if she was too stunned to answer.

"How do you know that he's not just trying to get attention?" Katie suggested. "He's 10 years old, and we're the only friends he has, I'm sure that he's bound to feel lonely at some points."

"I don't get you, Katie!" Kendall blurted. "How can you be so stupid? You know that there's something going on!"

"I can't believe you just called me stupid," Katie frowned, a hurt look flashing through her eyes.

Kendall felt bad, he really did. He didn't mean to make his sister feel so badly, but whenever he felt something, he had to let the feeling out. If he bottled it in, it would just drive him crazy and cause him to say even meaner things that he doesn't mean. "That's the way you're acting." He insisted. "You're struggling hard to believe something that's not true. I don't think that you get that if they keep pushing us away like this, with whatever secret they have, we won't come back."

"That's bullshit Kendall," Katie said bluntly, causing Kendall's eyes to widen in shock, "If you guys keep jumping down their throats and accusing them of things and demanding them to tell you something, the _you'll_ push _them_ away." She crossed her arms over her chest. "That's why I haven't said anything to Patrick and Noah. I'm waiting for them to come to me."

"What if they don't?" Kendall challenged.

"What if they do?" Katie shot back.

"But what if they don't?"

"But what if they do?"

"Considering the fact that they're Riley's and Rhuben's brothers, I'm pretty sure that they're not going to come to you to say anything." Kendall said in a condescending tone.

Katie huffed, now fully angry. "You don't get it, Kendall!" She snapped. "You can't stand not being in everyone's business. That could be why they aren't telling you anything. You keep backing them into corners and keep trying to get them to tell you stuff when, being their friend, you should let them come to you. If anyone's stupid, it's _you_!" She grabbed a pillow off of one of the couches and whipped it at her brother before storming off.

Kendall sighed as he pulled the pillow from his chest.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I wanted to have at least one chapter that was somewhat happy and cheerful (for the most part) since the rest of the story is drama and angst filled. I hope that you guys liked it that I brought in fan-mail and all that; I always thought that it was interesting the rules that bands have dealing with fan-mail. **

**I just realized I'm bumping the adults to secondary characters, and I think that it works better that way, because the story is how BTR deals with the secret the Jacksons are keeping, rather than the adults. But they will have a really big part in the next chapter to make up for them not being in this one.**

**But of course, there had to be some drama in here. I decided to make it that Kendall and Katie start to fight because I was going to put it into Ready to Roll, but since I discontinued that, I thought I'd put it here. Like I said in that story, no one really writes Kendall and Katie fighting, so I decided to try it. What do you think about the fight? I tried to show how they're both right and both wrong in their arguments.**

**What do you think about their secret through? Do you think it's something that they SHOULD keep a secret or do you think they should have told sooner? (Of course that wouldn't make a difference to the plan I had for this story.)**

**Thanks to **_BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan, Got2LiveItBigTime, Rage-Against-Time, Jenna, DarkElement-Jackson-Fan, youspinmelikearecord, MysticMelody101, shotinthedark, LogieLuvr914, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, Rayna, BigTimeFan-'10, and 2lazytosingin_** for reviewing**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	12. Echo

**.:Chapter Twelve – Echo:.**

* * *

><p>"Hey James," Patrick and Noah greeted the older teen as they walked into the gym. They walked over to the tall brunette as he put the weights back onto the rack and turned from the mirror. "What's going on?"<p>

"Not much," James replied as he grabbed a towel off of the barbell rack and mopped his forehead before whipping the towel to the ground. "What's up with you guys?" He took a good look at the twin boys as they grabbed their own set of dumbbells and moved in front of the mirror to start their reps. "You don't look very happy."

"Is it possible to be happy when you're being empathetic?" Noah asked in between his rhythmic breathing as he moved the dumbbells up and down, allowing his biceps to stretch.

"Oh," James gave a knowing look as he turned to Patrick. "Did Katie come to talk to you guys about her and Kendall fighting?" He then made a face. "_Are_ they still fighting?"

"Apparently," Patrick replied in a murmured as he slowly raised and lowered the set of dumbbells that he held in his hands. He looked at James' reflection in the mirror. "From what I could understand about their fight, Kendall called her stupid about something, and because she and Kendall hardly ever fight as it is, she took it to heart." He let out a deep breath and set the dumbbells onto the floor to stretch out his arms before doing another set. "We tried to explain to her that siblings as close as she and Kendall are, they're bound to fight about something every once in a while. But then she demanded 'Then why hasn't he apologized yet' and I didn't know what to say to that."

James nodded silently as he tried to figure out what to say. He knew why they were fighting, it was hard not to, as soon as their fight had ended, Kendall had talked to him, Logan, and Carlos about it and they agreed that the two of them were right in their own way. _But that's the thing with Kendall, if he's too worked up about something it will take him ages to apologize about what he did wrong. _He started to smile a little bit. _Katie's the same way, I don't think I've ever heard her apologize about something._

"Yeah, none of us really know what to do other than to just wait for them to get over what they're fighting about," James replied slowly. "Trust me, it's better than to try and get them to talk. I got a bruise rib once for trying that."

"You're lying," Noah stated as he set his dumbbell down, a wry smile on his face.

James thought about denying it, saying that he was telling the truth, but he could tell from the look on Noah's face that there was no point in trying. "Yeah, you're right, but I really don't like to get into the middle of them when they fight. Extreme personalities you know?"

"Yeah, I getcha." Noah replied quietly.

"Is something wrong, bud?" James walked over and placed a hand on Noah's shoulder, frowning when he felt him flinch under his hand. "You seem kind of weird…"

"I just haven't been getting a lot of sleep," Noah replied with a shrug, moving out from underneath James' grip. "Nightmares and stuff," he noticed the look on James' face and quickly continued. "Nothing to worry about though."

"Yeah," Patrick jumped to his brother's rescue. "It's not anything that we're not used to." He moved over to the chest press and set up the machine, steadily pushing the hand holds out and back to his chest, breathing deeply with each set.

"How often do you guys get nightmares?" James asked as he grabbed his towel and water bottle. "I mean, you've only been adopted a few months ago so…"

"They're not bad, really," Patrick shrugged, his eyes growing vacant. "We haven't been getting them as much as usual. Most of them are just flashbacks of things that have already happened to us." He tried to give a joking smile. "So if you've heard terrified screaming sometime in the middle of the night, it's not Carlos and we haven't played Ouija board again."

James looked at him seriously. He wondered if he should have gone and told him that he and his friends had the suspicion that they were hiding something from them. _Well, it's not s suspicion anymore, now that Sydney told us what he knew. But it's obvious that he hasn't mentioned anything to them or they would have freaked out by now. _It was times like these that James was somewhat glad that he wasn't Kendall. He could admit that he cared about himself mostly, but that was because it was the way that his parents' divorce had raised him. They had both told him that if he wanted to succeed in life, he had to worry about himself first and others later. But as soon as they had gone to LA, that ideal had quickly changed.

In LA, you needed to have friends that truly had your back and ones that you would do anything for. It was the only way that they could survive. And now that they had saved the Jacksons from their demons the first time, he wondered how many times they were going to have to do it before they opened up enough to tell them that something was going on right as it was happening.

"What's the matter, JD?" Patrick asked, bringing James out of his thoughts. "You have that strange look in your eye again?" He slowly climbed off of the chest press and looked over at Noah, who was standing quietly off in the corner. "Did you think of some new Cuda products that you haven't bought yet?"

"No," James shook his head, giving a heavy sigh. "That's not it."

"Then what is it?" Noah spoke up. "We're your friends, you can tell us." He looked at James earnestly, flicking his hair out of his face.

James studied the two boys. From the way that they acted, you wouldn't think that they could be brothers, let alone twins, but it worked for them. And, in a way, it seemed to represent (or was at least similar to) the friendships that BTR and the Jacksons had. Based on appearances, it didn't seem like it would work, but it just did. It was kind of ironic that he was now shooting the 'friendship' thing in his face, especially since they all valued it so much.

"It's nothing, really," James gave a bright smile as he walked over to the mirror and started to check his reflection. "I was just thinking that you could do with some styling."

"That's what Riley is for." Patrick reminded him.

"No, I mean some styling from James Diamond," James replied, trying to lighten the subject. "The more people that look like me, then the world would be a better place." He started to lightly run his fingers through his hair, making sure that every strand fell into the right place around his forehead and his eyes.

"Hm, you're definitely Brooke Diamond's son." Noah remarked. "You know, just without the obsession for make-up." He smirked. "That's been replaced with Cuda products."

"And yet, it makes me even handsomer than usual," James replied. He grinned as Patrick and Noah laughed quietly. _At least for a while we can act like nothing's going on and we can all pretend that things are normal. _He frowned. _Ugh, now I know what Katie and Kendall were fighting about, this is really hard to deal with. _He looked over at Patrick and Noah, who had jumped onto the treadmill and then were having a competition to see who could run on the machine at a higher speed without grabbing onto the handles.

James couldn't help but smile.

_We'll talk to them about it soon, but we don't have to do it now._

* * *

><p>Ronan had just walked into the lobby of the hotel, using his thumb to scroll over his iPhone, ear buds dangling from his ears, when he heard Gustavo's loud voice being carried from one of the couches. He looked up and saw Kelly, Mrs. Knight, and Gustavo all sitting on a couch, talking to some police officers. They all had a few cuts and bruises, but other than that, they looked to be ok, but a bit shaken.<p>

"Whoa," Ronan blurted and hurried over to them. "What happened? Are you guys ok?"

"Oh Ronan, I was just about to call you," Kelly said as she looked up from her phone.

"Excuse me, sir," the police officer turned to Ronan, placing a hand on his shoulder. "Do you know these people?"

Ronan gave him a 'duh' look as Gustavo piped up saying, "No, I have never seen this guy before in my entire life! In fact, I just met him, _right now!" _Ronan shot Gustavo a look, causing Gustavo to roll his eyes. Ronan turned back to the police officer. "Yes, I work with them, and I have been friends with them for years. Right now we're on a tour representing Big Time Rush and the DarkElements." He let out a calming breath, trying to calm down his racing heart. "Now, what happened?"

"Well," the officer looked down at his notepad. "Around three o'clock today, while Kacy Knight, Gustavo Rocque, and Kelly Wainright were on their way back from the venue they were looking at, it has been reported that-"

"In _English_ please!" Gustavo barked.

The police officer shot Gustavo a dark look and turned to Ronan, lowering his notepad. "They got into a small car accident. Apparently there were two cars that were speeding, one chasing the other, and their car got in the way. The second car side-swiped Gustavo's rental and they spun around before stopping at the side of the road. So far we haven't figured out the other two cars at the scene of the crime, but we are getting to the bottom of this as best as we can." He turned and glanced over at the three adults sitting on the couch. "They've only suffered some cuts and bruises, but otherwise they're ok." He turned and handed Ronan a sheet of paper with a phone number on it. "In case you figure anything out, here's my number at the station."

"Oh," Ronan glanced over the number. "We're not going to be here for that much longer."

"All the same, you should take it." The police officer stretched his arm out even further.

Ronan's green eyes narrowed slightly as he looked back at the police officer. For whatever reason, he felt as if the police officer was silently blaming him for something, but he couldn't understand what. He had just been out on a run, and he came back to find his friends were hurt, so what could he have done in the past two hours that would have gotten any attention.

"Thanks," Ronan replied, snapping the sheet of paper from the officer's hand. "If you could make sure that this doesn't appear in the newspapers, at least not our names or the band's names, that would be great, thanks."

"I can't guarantee that." The police officer replied firmly.

"But it's part of our jobs in the music industry, to make sure that news like this doesn't get out. It would cause massive panic and rumors to go flying everywhere and that's definitely what we don't need right now." Ronan replied with a level-head, staring down the police officer. "Plus, it would also be obstruction of the rights that we have for our privacy."

"Like I said," the police officer closed his notebook and tucked his pencil away. "I can't guarantee that." He turned back to the three adults sitting on the couch. "Have a good day." He turned back to Ronan before leaving the hotel.

"Ok," Ronan wiped sweat off of his forehead before turning back to his friends. "First question I have to ask, do the kids know what happened? Where are Julius and Brittany?"

"Yeah," Mrs. Knight nodded, brushing her auburn hair from her face. "As soon as we had gotten back here, we told them what happened." She gave a soft smile. "Kendall, of course, was really worried and wouldn't leave me alone at first. And Logan," she motioned to the bandages that were on her arms. "He wouldn't leave until he was absolutely sure that we didn't have a concussion. They're all up in their rooms getting ready for the concert or are out sightseeing. But Julius and Brittany said that they were going out to get some souvenirs before they came back to pack their bags before catching their early flight tomorrow."

"Ok, now that we have that out of the way," Ronan moved over to the glass table that was sitting in front of the couch they were sitting on, and perched on the edge of it, resting his elbows on his knees, holding onto his iPhone tightly in both hands. "How are you all sitting on the couch without it breaking?" He chuckled and leaned back as Kelly reached out to swat him on the legs. "I'm kidding," his smile faded. "What happened?"

"Just like the officer told you, McGuire," Gustavo grunted. "We got into a car accident from those _stupid people that were speeding!" _He screamed the last words of his sentence so loud that it shook the chandelier on the ceiling above them.

"Gustavo," Kelly reached over and patted him on the shoulder. "Please, use your inside voice."

"_I am using my inside voice!"_

Ronan merely blinked, used to Gustavo's constant yelling. "If that's your inside voice, Gustavo, I'd hate to hear how loud you can yell when you're at a football game." He commented. "Seriously, you guys were just coming back from the venue and you got side swiped?" He raised his eyebrows as he scanned his friends' faces. "That's it?"

"Well," Mrs. Knight hesitated for a minute. "Gustavo didn't want to tell you this because he didn't want you to think that he was crazy-"

"Which he is," Kelly interjected.

"But, Gustavo says that he saw that one of the guys in the car that side-swiped us is the same guy from LA, when he had almost been in a car accident there, too." Kelly replied. Ronan gave her a completely blank look. "You don't remember?" He shook his head. "The last time that we were meeting up before the tour started, Gustavo was late because there was a car accident that caused a lot of traffic?" Ronan slowly nodded. "Yeah, well, Gustavo says that the guy that was there was also at the car accident here."

"What gives you that idea?" Ronan asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Because…I recognized the dude's hair," Gustavo replied in a mutter. "It's brown with green bangs?"

"So," Ronan snorted in disbelief. "There are a lot of kids running around with that hair style." He suddenly looked very thoughtful, leaning forward and rubbing his chin as he looked down at his phone.

"What?" Mrs. Knight asked, noticing the sudden change in his expression. "What is it? What do you know?"

Ronan looked at the three of his friends before slowly responding. "It's not really what I know, it's just…some sort of an epiphany I just had."

"Way to use big words, McGuire," Gustavo stated with a slow, sarcastic clap. "It makes the rest of us seem as smart as well."

"Well most people I know actually _know_ what the word epiphany means so…" Kelly trailed off, rolling her eyes, ignoring Gustavo cross his arms over his chest and sink into the couch, pouting. "What is it, Ronan?" She studied the expression on his face. "You seem to be even more stressed out than usual, and because it's a tour, that's not really a good thing."

"Ok," Ronan licked his lips and put his phone in his lap. "You know how I thought that there was something bothering my kids?" He waited for the others to nod. "Well, I thought that it might have something to do with Robert and I started to call my lawyers and everything and they said that he hasn't even tried to get out of jail and so far he hasn't even mentioned them. So…being the worried parent that I was, I started to dig around their past when they were back in Australia." He cleared his throat, which had suddenly become dry. "Because I was over there, working with them for a while, around the time that Robert had adopted them and started to abuse them, and I thought that there might be something else that was wrong with them."

"And, what did you find out?" Gustavo pressed, more serious than he had been in the past few minutes. Even though he didn't like the Jacksons at first, and had even treated them as badly as he treated Big Time Rush, he had known them long enough to create a sort of friendship with them and with Ronan that he actually cared about them, even if he didn't show it much. So if anything happened to them or Big Time Rush, or Mrs. Knight and Kelly, he wouldn't hesitate to go out on a full rampage for them.

"Well, I talked to the main police officer that was dispatched to the scene of the crime with their parents' death, and I started to ask him some questions." Ronan said, rubbing a hand over his mouth. "His name is Officer Clay and he didn't mind talking about it, because he had been working with the case and the Jacksons so closely that he had become some sort of a friend to them. Anyway," Ronan waved his hands and wiped them on the legs of his pants. His legs were bouncing up and down from anxiety. "I asked him if there was any other case of him needing to be called from something that they did, and he admitted that Riley and Rhuben used to have a lot of behavioral problems."

"It makes sense," Mrs. Knight nodded. "When we first figured out that they were being abused, Logan looked up the symptoms and signs of it, and aggressive behavior and not wanting to go home and things like that were there." She let out a sigh, sadness filling her eyes. "Sometimes I wish I had known that before, so we could have helped them sooner.

Even though she wasn't the Jacksons' mother, at times she felt like it. Hell, she was Mama Knight to them and the boys, and she always liked taking care of people, it was still second nature to her. So why should it be any different?

"That was no one's fault, Kacy," Kelly reminded her. "They were just very good at hiding something they didn't want someone to find out."

"Yeah," Ronan gave a fond smile. "They're all such fantastic liars."

"Can you keep going with your explanation please?" Gustavo barked. "What does this have to do with me almost being killed for the second time?"

"Right," Ronan back-tracked in his thoughts so he could remember what he was going to say. "Well, like I said, Officer Clay said that they had a lot of behavioral problems; got into a lot of fights in school, broke curfew a lot, and they started to fall into the wrong crowd. But what you said about the guys' appearance reminded me that I had earlier asked for the pictures of these people, so when we go back to Australia, I didn't have to worry about them meeting up with them again. And…" Ronan scrolled through the pictures on his phone and then chose one, turning his phone around so he could show them the picture. "Did he look like this?"

"Yeah, that's him!" Gustavo cried, jabbing a finger at his phone. "He was in LA and he was just here! I swear, that's him!"

"Who is this?" Kelly took the phone from Ronan and she and Mrs. Knight leaned closer to get a better look at the boys' face.

"That's Alice Wattson," Ronan stated and then nodded when he heard Gustavo's snort. "Yeah, I know, weird name for a guy." He gave a slight eye-roll. "He's one of the guys that Riley and Rhuben used to hang out with when they were growing up back home."

"So what are you going to do?" Mrs. Knight asked, giving Ronan his phone back. "Are you going to turn him into the police?"

"I'm going to do that," Ronan agreed with a nod. "And I'm going to keep a close eye on my kids in case he tries to make contact with them." He shrugged. "Other than that, I'm going to be working on trying to keep my mind off of all this." He stretched. "Are you guys sure you're ok?"

"Yeah, we're fine," Gustavo replied. "For now."

* * *

><p>"I figured that by being a gang leader this long, you would know how <em>not<em> to get blood on you." Rhuben commented as she washed blood off of Austen's hands.

Austen didn't say anything in reply. He just held his hands out and allowed Rhuben to continue washing the thick liquid off of his hands. When she was done, he wiped his hands off on his shirt and surveyed the alleyway. Braden, Candy, Riley, and the rest of his gang were there, and they were all washing off blood, splattering the concrete with the ding water. He gave a grim smile. _As long as they get the message…_

Finally, he turned back to Rhuben. "Where's Malice?" he questioned.

Rhuben raised an eyebrow as she shrugged. "How the hell should I know? I was on look-out, remember? I wasn't supposed to be checking where everyone was when you got the Devil Dog pinned," she gave a cruel smirk. "You know, right before you guys all ran with your tail between your legs at the shout of a police officer coming."

"Screw you, bitch." Austen replied, flipping his hair out of his face. But that was an empty threat. The two of them knew that when it came to the gang members, he treated Rhuben nicer-well, nicer wasn't exactly the word- than everyone else. And Rhuben knew that it was only because he had dated her before. "You're lucky that we're doing this for you guys or you could kiss your ass goodbye."

Now _that _wasn't an empty threat. The agreement that they had made was basically going to screw either side over if things didn't go the way they planned. Either BTR was going to die or the gang was going to die. At that moment in time, there wasn't anything that they could do to fix things. Now, a normal person, not in this predicament would say to go to the police. But then they wouldn't be following the number 1 rule that you had to follow when you were in a gang: Never squeal and more importantly, never squeal to the police.

"I'm sure you'd like to kiss her ass anyway," Candy replied with a suggestive smile. "And everywhere else on her body."

"You don't have to be jealous, Candy," Braden commented as he pulled off his shirt and wrung it out, watching as blood hit the ground, lightly splattering his legs. "Green isn't a good color on you and it makes you sound even more like a cocksucker than you already are."

"Sounds like you would know that first hand, Braden," Riley commented as she pulled her hair from its long ponytail and flipped her head over, brushing out her hair. When she stood up straight, she pulled it back into a bun. "I bet you've had lots of offers."

"You sound jealous, Riley." One of their companions, Slice, commented.

Riley shook her head. "I'm not a jealous person, Slice, besides; it's hard to get jealous over someone _you_ dumped." Riley shot back carelessly. Braden flipped her off and she shot him one in return. "Anyway, I'm sure by now Candy has fucked every single one of you guys."

"I'm working on it," Candy replied with a wink.

Austen let out a barking laugh. "All of you are fucking nuts," Austen commented as he pulled a cigarette and a lighter from his pocket. He lit his cigarette and stuck it in his mouth, dangling it from his lips. "Good thing you're all great fighters or I wouldn't have a reason to keep you all around."

"Thanks for the comment, you mother fucker." Candy replied with ease. She looked down at her bloodied shirt before rolling the bottom up and tucking it under her bra. "It's really appreciated."

"YOU MOTHER FUCKING SHITHEAD!" Everyone turned to see Malice storm into the alleyway, his eyes ablaze with anger. He turned his attention to Riley and Rhuben and he headed over to the two of them. Austen merely blew a smoke ring out of his mouth and watched curiously. "Which one of you cunts did this?"

"Did what?" Riley sounded bored.

"Which one of you two squealed?" Malice demanded, his eyes darting back and forth from Riley and Rhuben. "I just got held at the police station for _three hours_ because one of you assheads decided to squeal on me and those "car accidents" in LA and here."

"We didn't say anything." Rhuben denied vehemently. "Why would you even think that we would do that?"

"You quiet us before, why wouldn't you do it again?" Malice shot back.

"Why do you think?" Riley sneered in reply. She understood his frustration. They had all used to be really great friends before the Jacksons had "moved" to LA. As soon as they had left, they cut all ties with their lives back home, due to their abuse, and it was obvious that he still hadn't gotten over it. Especially since now he was following orders and helping them deal with their rival gang, when he wasn't sure if he could even trust them as far as he could throw them.

"I get it," Malice's eyes continued to flash. "You care more about those four, gay, boy band guys more than us. We were your mates way before they were and now you're going to turn your backs on us for that." He then smirked. "Oh, I'm sorry; one of them is your boyfriend." He pretended to think. "Is he even aware that he is gay?"

"Logan isn't gay," Rhuben replied darkly, through gritted teeth. "And don't talk about him like that, I swear to god, if you do-"

"Then you'll what?" Malice reached up and shoved her back a few steps. Rhuben glared back at him. "Huh? What are you going to do?" He walked back into her space and shoved her again. "Are you going to go cry to Austen? You know he's not going to do anything about it!" He shoved her once more, noticing that she was slowly starting to lose her cool. "What are you going to do about it?"

Rhuben reared back and punched Austen across the face. He reacted quickly and slammed into her stomach, tackling her to the ground. Rhuben rolled onto her stomach and bucked Malice off of her back before turning around and kicking him in the side, causing Malice to crumple onto his side.

Austen smiled.

Malice got to his feet and shook himself out, a few drops of blood falling to the ground as he shook his head. He brought a hand up to his lip and wiped away the blood before fixing his eyes on Rhuben once more. She stood her ground, glaring back at him.

He stormed at with power, barely two strides bringing him across the alley to her, and grabbed her by the tops of her arms, near her shoulder blades, slammed her back against the south wall of the ally. Malice's left hand released her arm, and with lightning speed, re-adjusted its position at her throat. His right hand remained in place. "I asked you a question," he hissed – cold fury replacing his prior violent rage.

Rhuben managed to smirk as she brought her knee up and slammed it into Malice's balls. Malice quickly dropped his hands to his crotch before she used her other foot to kick him in the side of the head. Malice fell over onto his side and everything went to hell at that point; everyone, except Austen, was fighting someone and by the looks of it, the fights weren't going to end anytime soon.

Malice, being stronger than Rhuben quickly regained his advantage after a few moments of back and forth with each other. He managed to grab onto her shoulder and neck one more; his hands pressing against her throat and shoulder, heavier than concrete, unrelenting.

Austen watched the exchange with cold, unemotional eyes.

"Let go of me," Rhuben growled, her blue eyes flashing with rage as she struggled to get out of Malice's grasp. She let out a choked cry as Malice started to tighten the hand around her neck. She could feel the lack of oxygen dizzying her, her throat burning and lungs constricting. She couldn't bear it much longer. She needed air. Her head spun; she forgot where she was, and what was happening…

But then her breaths – though raw and desperate – were hurrying in and out of her throat again. She clutched at her neck, ignoring the soreness as she lowered her right arm, looking at her knuckles which were now red and bruised. Thankfully the ring she wore on her right hand had done more than she anticipated. But he had definitely done a number on her; she was going to feel it tomorrow.

"All of you stop!" Austen's voice finally broke into the alley along with a gunshot, causing everyone to halt. He looked around at everyone his right hand with a gun in it, pointed towards the sky; Malice and Rhuben were standing apart from each other, glaring fiercely, Braden had Slice in a headlock, and Candy and Riley had death grips on each other. On both of them, their hair was messed up and they looked they had gotten a few good punches in. "If you want to want to kill each other, go out there and do it where the Devil Dogs can get to you, you're not doing it on my watch!" He looked around, waiting to see if anyone was going to defy him. "You're already beat up from encountering them today, you're not going to make it worse if we have to go and chase them again!"

"I think we scared them enough with that high-speed chase," Braden commented as she shoved Slice away from him. He gave a half smile. "We might even be on the news for it, later."

"That's the last thing we need, mate." Austen reminded him.

"Especially since Alice has already been sent to the police station." Candy reminded everyone as she fixed her hair.

"How'd you get out?" Riley asked curiously. "If someone could connect you to the crime?"

"They couldn't actually prove it," Malice replied, continuously wiping blood away from his nose. "So they let me go, but they're going to be keeping an eye on me for a while."

"So we're going to have to lay low," Austen announced and turned to Riley and Rhuben. "You two, especially. I may have to call you to help less and less, the more the police get involved, but don't be surprised if I still continue to call you guys over." Riley nodded, rubbing her ribs, a pained expression on her face. "Alright, now get out of here," he gave a sneer. "I'm sure you're _mates_ are wondering where you are."

"Oh, before you go," Braden gave a slightly sadistic smile. "Tell your brothers I say 'hi'."

_What's that supposed to mean? _Riley asked herself as she slowly turned and slipped out of the alleyway with her sister.

Riley and Rhuben raced back to the hotel as fast as they could. As soon as they stepped foot into the lobby, they split up, so they wouldn't draw attention to themselves. As Riley went to her hotel room, Rhuben went to go find BTR to hang out with them. They had found over the past couple of days that it was better if they weren't all together with them or there would be unmistakable tension. Also, it would eliminate the prospect of an intervention from their friends if they weren't all together.

They were going to explain themselves, but they still needed time to figure out how to do it right. Especially now that they were getting beaten up almost constantly, it was going to be harder to explain. Plus, there was the disappointment that Ronan was definitely going to feel if he found out before they could tell him.

So Riley went up to her hotel room, giving a short victory dance, making sure she didn't aggravate any of the bruises that she had gotten as she did so. Letting out a sigh of exhaustion, she walked over to the freezer and grabbed a pint of Ben and Jerry's ice cream and had eaten half of it in a few quick bites, ignoring the brain freeze that she received.

She had only been there for a minute before Kendall had knocked on the door, asking if he could come in.

"Uh," Riley checked her reflection in the mirror to make sure no bruises were showing, before grabbing her song lyrics notebook and a pen and sitting on the floor. She opened the notebook and placed it onto her lap before replying. "Yeah, come in! Doors open."

"Hey," Kendall greeted as he entered the hotel room and closed the door behind him. He paused and looked around. "Where's Ronan? He's not going to be mad that I'm here, is he?"

"He's out somewhere," Riley replied, ignoring the natural urge to wave her hand, knowing that she would cause searing pain to shoot up her side if she did so. "And he wouldn't care."

"If you say so." Kendall stated as he walked over to her.

"What's up?" Riley asked.

"Not much," Kendall gave what sounded like the world's biggest sigh as he sat down next to her and took the pen from her hand. He frowned when he felt it and looked over at her out of the corner of his eyes, millions of thoughts running through his head as to why he was holding onto a pen that was so sticky.

"Sorry," Riley said, wiping her hand off on the sides of her jeans as best as she could. Her hand was sticky from the ice cream that had dripped down the side of the carton. She swallowed a mouthful of ice cream before explaining. "It's the Cheesecake Brownie."

"The what?" Kendall asked.

Riley wiggled her Ben and Jerry's carton at him before using her small spoon to take another bite. "The ice cream. Lots of sticky ice cream and brownie chunks." She turned her attention back to the notebook that was lying in her lap.

"Oh." Kendall merely said in reply. When Riley tried to grab her pen back, he just held onto it and said," No, it's ok." He took the notebook and started to look over the song himself.

"I like to eat ice cream when I'm writing a song," Riley explained.

"Of course," he smiled and then turned his attention to her. "Give me a bite."

Riley scooped some out of the carton in her lap and brought the spoon up to his mouth. Their eyes met as Riley spooned brownie-laced ice cream into Kendall's mouth. When she started to pull her hand away, he held it in place so he could lick the spoon.

"Mmm," he said, still looking at her.

Riley couldn't help it; she made a face as she winced, pulling the spoon from his mouth, noticing that he was silently laughing, bringing a hand up to his mouth to make sure he didn't spit ice cream everywhere.

"I'm sorry, but you just made that so weird." She apologized.

"I'm a guy," he replied as a form of explanation. "And I like messing with your head. It's fun. And easy."

"Well you must not have anything else to do if you just want to mess with my head," Riley stated as she took the last spoonful of the ice cream. "What's the matter? Is your sister still mad at you? That's what you get for calling her stupid."

_Way to throw that into my face. _Kendall sighed. "You know there's a difference between being honest and blunt," Kendall stated after a moment. "That difference being that you can be unnecessarily cruel."

"Yeah, but honesty is the best police," Riley replied as she scribbled something into her notebook. "At least, that's how I was raised. Besides, people spend too much time pussyfooting over something they want to say when you can just say it."

"Yeah, but that can also be emotionally abusive," Kendall said more to himself. To be honest, he was thinking that and he hadn't even realized that he had said it out loud until he heard Riley's sharp intake of breath. "What?" He turned to look at her and was shocked to see that Riley's eyes were dull and scared looking. It hit him then, that the toughness that Riley always showed was a façade and that she was an even more sensitive person than he knew.

"Am I…emotionally abusive?" she asked quietly. "I mean, I call you and the guys idiots and stupid all the time, but I never mean that." She stood up and grabbed the carton of ice cream and walked over to the wastebasket to throw it away. "I mean, the last thing I want to be is Robert-"

"You're _nothing_ like your Robert," Kendall reassured her. "And, no, you're not emotionally abusive. I mean," he tried to recover. "Anybody could think that you are, from how often you call us idiots, but it's mostly our fault because we _do_ do stupid things but-"

"You're rambling." Riley noted, still talking quietly.

"Well, that's because I'm stressed," Kendall closed the notebook and whipped it to the floor. "I'm stressed from this tour, from Katie being mad at me, at myself for calling her stupid, and of course at you guys for keeping this secret from us." He lifted his accusing eyes to look at her. _Maybe now that it's right out in the open they'll actually tell us what's going on and we can help them._ "And don't try denying it, because we know you're hiding something."

"It's a secret, Hockey-Head," Riley shrugged. "Everyone has them."

"Yeah, but friends are allowed to tell each other their secrets." Kendall insisted.

"Obviously you're not getting this." Riley pursed her lips for a second before crossing her arms over her chest. "There are two ways to go about having a secret; confide in someone you trust or keep your mouth shut." She gave a one-armed shrug. "Guess which option I chose."

"…Are you saying you don't trust me?" Kendall asked.

"No, I trust you." Riley said. "But for your safety, I'm keeping my mouth shut."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Yeah, I had to update again. So what do you think? I finally brought up the quote that was for the summary of the story. What did you think of the gang stuff? I had to bring it back to it at some point, so I did it quicker than originally planned. This chapter was from James' POV and I wanted to put in a bonding moment between James and Patrick and Noah before the next chapter that shows more of the guys. Also in the next chapter is has more of Rhuben, Noah, Sydney, and Katie.**

**Also, the time lapse between chapters aren't important unless I mention them (like, if I say that it's a couple of days later). There's a reason that I'm doing that and I'll let you know when the story ends. I hope you guys weren't too disturbed with the violence in this chapter.**

**Thanks to **_BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan, Got2LiveItBigTime, Rage-Against-Time, Jenna, DarkElement-Jackson-Fan, youspinmelikearecord, MysticMelody101, shotinthedark, LogieLuvr914, Rayna, BigTimeFan-'10, and 2lazytosingin_** for reviewing.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	13. Big Girls Don't Cry

**.:Chapter Thirteen – Big Girls Don't Cry:.**

**This is a friendship oriented chapter, so it will seem like not much happened, but it furthers their relationships/friendships with each other as well as furthering their characterization.**

* * *

><p>"Hey, are we hanging out in the DarkElements' dressing room today?" Katie asked as she climbed up Kendall's back and grabbed onto our shoulders. "I <em>think<em> that it's their day today."

"Yeah, it's their turn to entertain us." Carlos closed his laptop and leapt to his feet as he faced Kendall and Katie. "Oooh! Can I get a piggy-back ride too?"

"Not on my back," Kendall declared as he took a step back, hooking his arms under Katie's legs so she wouldn't fall off from his quick movement. "Get on James," he added as James walked by, running a comb through his hair.

"Wait?" James asked, a split second before Carlos let out an ear-splitting shriek and knocked James to the ground, while trying to jump onto his back. "NOT THE HAIR!" James shrieked as Carlos shoved his face into one of the couches in BTR's dressing room. "ANYTHING BUT THE HAIR!"

Logan made a face as he turned off the TV and turned around, watching the two on the couch. He glanced up at Kendall and Katie, who were laughing at their friends, before running forward a taking a leap onto James' back, pushing him further into the couch.

"YOU JUST LOVE TO BUG ME DON'T YOU?" James' muffled voice continued to scream.

Kendall and Katie continued to laugh as they watched their friends wrestle around on the couch. They didn't move until Gustavo had announced his presence by thundering into the room. "HEY!" Carlos and Logan quickly got off of James, who slowly poked his head up over the top of the couch. "YOU DON'T WANT TO BREAK ANY BONES BEFORE YOUR SHOW DO YOU?" They all nodded. "SO STOP BEING STUPID!"

Carlos couldn't help but smile as he pulled himself to his feet. He couldn't help it; hardly anything ever brought his mood down, especially when he was on a tour. And Gustavo was definitely not going to ruin his mood, not when the tour was just getting better and better.

"Gustavo and I are going to do some last minute checks of the stage and everything before we go and get some rest." Kelly said as she lightly brought a hand up to her forehead, a flash of pain moving through her eyes.

Logan frowned a little, taking a step forward. "Are you guys sure you're ok?" He asked. "You know there's such thing as whiplash, you may have it." He remarked.

_And there goes Logie, _Carlos rolled his eyes. _Always being such a worry-wart. _Carlos sighed loudly and took a step forward slung an arm around Logan's shoulders. "They're fine, Logan, don't worry." He then flashed a smile over to Gustavo and Kelly. "If you guys weren't ok, we'd know it." He then reached out and punched Gustavo on the arm. He jumped, his eyes growing wide when Gustavo let out a loud scream of pain, grabbing onto his arm.

"Dude, why'd you do that?" Katie gasped, her eyes growing wide as well.

"Run!" Kendall declared and sprinted out of the room, Katie bobbing up and down on his back as he went. Carlos, Logan, and James hurried after him. They didn't stop running until they were sure that Gustavo wasn't going to chase after them. "Dude, why'd you do that?" he repeated Katie's questions.

Carlos shrugged. "I didn't think that he was actually hurt," he replied, sucking in a large breath. "Besides," he massaged a small stitch in his side. "We haven't had any actual fun in a while," he added, looking at each of his friends. It's always been some sort of drama; we haven't had any fun with the Jacksons since before they went back to Australia to do some promotion after Ronan adopted them." He waited for the others to say something, but they stayed silent.

He knew that he was right. Ever since the tour had started, it _had _been nothing but drama; if it wasn't that they were so busy rehearsing and doing interviews and getting things ready for the tour, it was something about the Jacksons acting weird that would cause problems. It wasn't that he resented them for that, he knew that they were crying out for help, and even if they continued to back away when he, Kendall, Logan, James, or Katie or their other friends tried, he knew they were still asking for it. So when he woke up that morning, he made up his mind that he was going to confront them once and for all what was going on, even if he didn't like the answer.

_I just hope that they finally open up to us about what's going on. _Carlos shook his head and gave a bright smile. "Come on guys, let's just hang out with our friends and forget that we're on a tour for a while." He twirled his helmet in his hands. "I could get another security cart and-"

"After having been warned by Gustavo, Kelly, Mrs. Knight _and _Ronan about getting into another one of those, I don't think so." Logan commented as he shook his head. He grabbed onto Carlos' arms and moved him in front of him. "Now let's go before you get any more stupid ideas." Carlos laughed and moved around Logan until he jumped onto his back. "Of course you wanted a piggy-back ride."

Carlos grinned like a loon as the guys walked to the DarkElements' dressing room. As soon as they arrived, they were stopped by Ronan, as he was leaving the dressing room himself.

"Hey Ronan, how's it going?" Katie greeted the older man.

"Not bad," Ronan replied as he rubbed a hand over his face. "Could you guys do me a favor, though?"

Carlos looked over at his friends as they nodded. It wouldn't have mattered if he asked them to stand out on the corner of the street in their underwear to get attention for something; they would have done it, because they respected Ronan that much. He was nice, he knew what he was doing on the music industry, he didn't act like the guys were morons, and he was helpful. _Sometimes I wonder how he and Gustavo and be friends, but at the same time it works really well. _

"What do you need help with?" James asked curiously.

Ronan hesitated a moment. "Well, could you keep an eye on Riley and Rhubes for me?" He asked. "I know that something's bothering them," he looked a little sad as he jerked a thumb over his shoulder. "I was just going over some vocals with them and they looked like they were in pain as they were singing, and trust me, you can always tell if someone is struggling. Plus, I don't think they have gotten a lot of sleep lately, so…" he trailed off for a moment before taking a deep breath. "If you figure something out, please let me know."

"We will," Logan said with a firm nod.

"Thanks," Ronan smiled. "They've got to be onstage in ten minutes, so make sure they're out when they need to be." He added and moved around them before disappearing down the hallway.

"So we've heard from Ronan _and_ from Sydney that there's something wrong," James commented as they continued towards the Jacksons' dressing room. "So when can we confront them about it? There's not much longer I can take acting like I don't know what something is going on."

Carlos instinctively looked over at Kendall. If there was anyone that usually knew what to do to fix something, it would be him. But this time, Kendall looked a little lost as he thought about it. _For once, I don't think Kendall knows what he's doing._

"I still think we should wait a bit longer," Kendall said after a moment. "Just so we can be sure that we're freaking out over something worth freaking out about." He shifted to look at Carlos, Logan, and James. "I know that you guys are as anxious as I am, but if we start yelling at them or confronting them for something so little and it really hurts our friendship…"he paused. "I don't know if it's worth it."

"So what you're saying is that you want to wait until things get worse?" James asked to clarify, his eyebrows disappearing into his dark hair. "I don't think that's what you meant, but that's what it sounds like."

"That's not what I meant," Kendall confirmed.

"How about this," Katie sighed as she tightened her grip around Kendall's neck. "I'll try to see if I can figure anything else out from Patrick, Noah, and Sydney and let you guys know. If it's something that we _really _need to worry about, then we can talk to them. But if it's something bigger than that, well," she shrugged. "We need to tell Ronan."

"I still don't get why we just don't tell them now," Carlos mused as he ran a hand through his short hair. "I mean maybe they can get help with whatever it is."

"But at the same time, if they're keeping it from Ronan, who they always talk to, then it's something they don't want him to worry about." Logan brought his thumb up to his mouth and started to bite on his thumbnail. "While I agree with you that we should wait a bit longer, how much longer can we afford to wait?"

Kendall couldn't answer.

Carlos walked a bit faster and grabbed onto the doorknob of the Jackson' dressing room and pushed the door open. He stuck his head inside and looked around; he couldn't help but smile a little as the throbbing music poured out of the room. Patrick, Noah, and Sydney were head banging wildly and singing loudly to 'Rompe' by Daddy Yankee as Riley was sitting cross-legged on a couch, playing the guitar and Rhuben was sitting on the opposite couch, listening to the music as well as taking pictures of the three boys. A pair of drumsticks was at her side.

"Hey," Carlos called as he and the others stepped into the room. He waved and caught Sydney's attention, who waved back before scurrying over to his laptop and pushing a button, causing the music to stop. Rhuben looked up and gave a short wave as Patrick and Noah turned to face their friends.

Riley, noticing the music had turned off, looked up and jumped when she spotted her friends before pulling a pair of headphones down to her neck, which had been plugged into her amp. "Oh!" she gave a small smile. "You guys scared me."

"That's not new," Rhuben remarked as she set her camera down and picked up her drumsticks, twirling them around her fingers. "You're the jumpiest one out of all of us." She stuck her tongue out at Riley, who made a face in reply.

"What was up with the loud music?" Katie asked as she slid off of Kendall's back. "We could hear it all the way down the hall."

"Oh," Noah gave a proud smile. "We were celebrating." He said as Big Time Rush and Katie moved into the room and made themselves comfortable. "Patrick has been nominated for a Dirty Award and Rhuben has been named Musician of the year for Sassy."

"Wow, congratulations, that's so-"Katie suddenly stopped, looking like she was amused and disgusted at the same time. "What's a Dirty Award? And should I be scared of the answer?"

Patrick chuckled as he gave a modest smile. "No; Sassy is a magazine aimed for female fans of alternative rock music, same with Dirt but for boys. And while Rhubes has been named musician of the year; Which means that she gets the cover and a 5 page spread interview for the magazine, Dirt has these things called the Dirty awards where musicians are nominated for 'Best Vocals' or 'Best Image' and stuff like that and," he blushed a little. "I got nominated for 'Best Bassist'."

"Awesome!" Carlos cried as he moved forward and wrapped his arms around Patrick in a hug, lifting the younger boy off of his feet. "You must be so excited, that's such great news!"

"Carlos," Patrick looked down at the helmet-clad teen with an awkward expression on his face, his arms pinned to his sides. "Please, put me down."

"Sorry," Carlos apologized as he set Patrick back onto his feet. "I just got excited."

"Its fine, Carlos," Noah said with a wave of his hand. "We've gotten some magazine awards and stuff before, but it's still pretty exciting." He sat down onto the floor and grunted when Sydney flopped himself onto his lap. "We just have to figure out times when it can get done."

"Wouldn't you be able to just do it when the tour is over?" Logan asked and leaned over to give Rhuben a kiss on the cheek, but she backed away from him, giving him a strange look. "What?"

"You didn't hear about our 'work rule?" Sydney asked with a chuckle as he used air quotes around the words. He gave an impish smile as he looked at Patrick and Noah, motioning for Kendall, Logan, Carlos, James, and Katie to move closer. "When we were first starting out, there were these girls that would follow us around because they really liked Patrick and Noah." He explained. "Well, two of them got the idea that they were their girlfriends so they were _everywhere_ trying to get kisses and stuff. That lasted until Ronan made up the rule, partly to embarrass them and partly to be serious, that if you have a significant other, you can show it perfectly fine, but _**not **_when we're working."

"Really?" Katie's eyebrows twitched as she leaned against Kendall's sides. "What'd you have to do? Put a restraining order on them?"

"Close, but not quite." Riley stated with an odd smirk on her face, that she exchanged with Rhuben. "Basically what we did-"

"-was make sure that they never broke the rule again." Rhuben finished her sister's sentence.

"Huh," Kendall remarked with a teasing smile. "No wonder people call you a bitch."

Riley moved to the floor, stretching her legs. Logan looked at her for a second before moving to the floor to sit between her legs, and Rhuben moved to sit between his. "We're not bitches, we're defensive, there's a difference." Riley pointed out.

Carlos gave the three of them an odd look for a second, and then smiled. Riley, Logan, and Rhuben were sitting on the floor one in front of the other: Rhuben was sitting between Logan's legs, leaning back against his chest, Logan had his knees drawn up and were resting against Rhuben's sides, and in turn he was sitting between Riley's legs, leaned back, a goofy smile on his face as she absentmindedly ran her fingers over the nape of his neck and the base of his skull, and Riley had her legs stretched out beside Logan as she lightly rested against his back.

"Should I even ask?" Carlos asked as he pushed Patrick aside to make some room on the couch. _As long as they're happy._

"It's the way that we used to sit when we were hanging out with nothing to do, back in Texas." Logan replied with an embarrassed shrug.

"Yeah, Logie-Bear and his twin bodyguards," Riley teased as she reached up her fingers and jammed them under Logan's ribs on the right side. He involuntarily made a squeaking sound and jerked back, elbowing her in the stomach.

"I thought I told you to _stop_ doing that!" Logan declared, his cheeks flushing.

"What part?" Sydney asked from Noah's lap, playing with his older brother's fingers. "Calling you Logie-Bear or jabbing you in the sides?"

"Both,"

"Are you ok?" Carlos asked, Riley, noticing that she made a face, moving her arms to her stomach. "You look kinda funny."

"Never better," Riley replied through gritted teeth. She let out a deep breath and her shoulders lowered from her ears. She leaned forward and nuzzled her cheek against Logan's neck, causing him to lean back against her.

Carlos exchanged glances with James.

"_Well, could you keep an eye on Riley and Rhubes for me? I know that something's bothering them, I was just going over some vocals with them and they looked like they were in pain as they were singing, and trust me, you can always tell if someone is struggling."_

_Should we confront them about it now? _Carlos sighed as he looked at his watch. _There's not much longer until the show starts and they're already ready. But what if we do confront them now and things are hard for them onstage?_

"What's up Carlos?" Rhuben asked as she very slowly stretched the right side of her body as she twisted to her left. An audible cracking sound came from her back and she winced slightly before dropping her arms. "You just look like you've lost your dog or something."

"No," Kendall cried, waving his hands. "Don't _ever _mention his dog, Sparky. He'll go into hysterics."

"It's a natural thing," Noah commented with a shrug. "Pets are like family to people, if my dog died, I'd be a wreck too." A pensive look crossed over his face as he turned to look out the window. Carlos wasn't surprised or alarmed, it happened a lot and it usually was a sign that they were thinking about their abuse, it was like somewhere in their minds they went back to each and every moment that they had been hurt.

Talking to Logan about it, he knew that it was a hard thing to deal with; abuse, and knew that it was a hard thing to get over. That's why he was trying so hard to help his friends, and that's what made the whole thing frustrating. How many times can you allow yourself to be pushed away before you actually go away and leave your friends alone?

He had never been in this position before and it was really starting to become a drag and very, _very_ stressful. It was times like these he wished that his mother was around; she was always able to make him feel better. Besides, talking things out helped fix problems; and if talking wasn't going to help with this problem, maybe confronting them would.

_There's no doubt about it, we have to know what's going on, sooner rather than later. _Carlos tightened his hands into fists and pressed his lips firmly together. He didn't want to do it until he had everyone's agreement with it, and waiting was never one of his strong suits.

"You ok, Carlitos?" Patrick asked, giving him an odd look. "You look like you have to take a dump or something."

"You really don't know a lot about tact, do you?" Katie asked, pulling her hair behind her ears. Her nose was wrinkled as if she had smelled something fowl, and due to the topic of conversation, she may as well have.

"It's part of my charm."

Carlos smiled a bit at the exchange. Even if she wouldn't admit it out loud, he and everyone else knew that she had feelings for both Patrick and Noah and the three of them made a really good pair of best friends. But he knew that when it came to her quite possibly choosing one of them as a potential boyfriend, it would probably be the hardest decision of her life. He looked over at Kendall, who looked amused and annoyed at the same time. _In only a way a big brother could._

"Ok, listen," James spoke up after a second. "We know that something's going on with you guys, and we want to know what it is." Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and Katie turned to him with a glare. "Oh come on, you guys want to know as much as I do and I'm not leaving until I get an-"

"Hey guys, it's time for you to go onstage in two minutes, get out here!" Ronan's voice wafted through the door of the dressing room.

"Did you hear that!" Riley leapt to her feet, causing Logan and Rhuben to bowl over backwards on the floor. "Ronan's calling us; we have to go start the show!" She grabbed onto Rhuben's arm and hauled her to her feet. Rhuben made a whimpering sound and turned to give her sister a small glare as her brothers leapt to their feet as well.

"COMING, RONAN!" Patrick shouted before turning to his friends, forcing a smile. "You know how it is, showbiz."He grabbed Noah's arm. "Let's go!" He, Noah, Riley, and Rhuben practically sprinted out of the room.

"Good luck!" Kendall called after them.

"Don't need it!" Patrick called back.

"The thing they're not telling you," Sydney commented as he slowly walked over to the front door. He drummed his fingertips on the door handle as he hesitated. "Um…"

"It's alright, Syd," Carlos quietly coaxed him. "You can tell us what it is, you know that we'll try to help you in any way that we can."

Sydney pursed his lips for a moment before reaching his hand up and scratching his forehead. "I just wanted you to know," he said slowly. "And this may explain a few things…that Riley and Rhuben didn't always choose the best people to hang out with…" he spoke more to himself now. "Then again they never really chose the right _guy_ friends," he turned back to the guys as he licked his lips. "So if you want to help my sisters, which I hope you do because I don't know why else _I _can do, you can start there." With that, he disappeared from the doorway, hurrying after his siblings to start the show.

"You know that was Noah that imitated Ronan's voice, right?" Katie asked after a minute.

"Yep," Carlos sighed as he ran his hands over his face, tilting his head back and looking up at the ceiling.

* * *

><p>"Ugh, if your ribs are on fire, does that mean you're dying?" Rhuben groaned as she slowly lowered herself onto the couch of their dressing room, her arms wrapped loosely over her chest. They had just finished their opening part of the show and had gone back to their dressing room to watch BTR perform on the feed they had hooked up to their TV.<p>

"No," Sydney commented as he walked over to his older sister and peered down at her. "It just means that you quite possibly have some cracked ribs." He frowned as Patrick and Noah helped Riley over to the opposite couch. "Let me see." He instructed, turning back to Rhuben. "Malice may have hurt you more than you think; he has a tendency to live up to his name. Or the bruises manifested themselves overnight."

"English Syd," Noah remarked. "It will make things so much easier."

Sydney chuckled a bit. "Let me see." He repeated.

With a sigh, she lifted the bottom of her shirt and moved the bandages aside. Sydney couldn't help but let his eyes widen when he saw the extent of the bruises that was around Rhuben's ribs and stomach. Most of her skin was a nasty blue-black color, and he was pretty sure Riley wouldn't be much different. Patrick's eyes widened as well as he looked over at her.

"You have to tell Ronan," Sydney stated, tears quickly welling up into his eyes. He sat down on the couch next to Rhuben and grabbed onto one of her hands. "Or go to a doctor, I don't want you to die."

"I thought you said that you _couldn't_ die because of bruised ribs." Patrick commented.

"I said you _weren't dying _if your ribs were on fire," Sydney commented as he hastily wiped at his eyes, trying not to cry. "But having a broken rib can hurt your lungs. Please! Go to a doctor!"

"We can't do that," Riley stated. "Then we'd have too many questions to answer and not enough lies to come up with!"

"At this point, telling the truth is better." Noah insisted. "For your health and for your safety."

"What about our friends' safety?" Rhuben demanded. "If we tell the police what's going on, the Devil Dogs are just going to keep getting away with whatever plans they have and they'll hurt our friends. And that's worse than what we're going through now!" She was so worked up about the idea of telling everyone what was going on that as she spoke she was speaking so rapidly that her words were getting mushed together and her voice was getting higher and higher. She reached out and started to rub Sydney's stomach, causing him to slowly relax.

"You're always saying that you're doing this to protect us and to protect our friends," Noah said, shaking his head. "I get protecting our friends, but you're not supposed to protect us, we're supposed to protect you. We're your brothers, and we're getting older so we can take care of ourselves. Julius would want us to look after you guys because you've always looked after us."

"Noah-"Riley started.

"No, Riles," Noah turned to look at her, his eyes set in a glare. "Either you tell Ronan soon or we're going to. And up until then, out of respect, I'm not going to listen to what you have to tell me. I want you to listen to what I have to tell you." He looked at Patrick. "And to Patrick." He turned to Rhuben. "Both of you."

"If you die, we wouldn't be able to live with ourselves," Patrick added. "So, please, let us do this one thing."

"I'll get you some ice," Sydney muttered and left the room.

"Fine," Rhuben sighed, tilting her head back and looking at the ceiling as she lowered her shirt.

"Dammit!" Austen slammed his hands down onto the table in front of him so hard that his hands stung and his mug of coffee jumped off of the table and shattered as it hit the ground. He ignored the sharp looks that he got from the other patrons in the Starbucks and the barista that gave him a dirty look before grabbing a towel and heading over to clean up the mess.

Austen let out a huff as he grabbed his phone from his pocket, turning away from his computer and stared hard out the window. He dialed a number and put his phone up to his ear. "Hey!" he barked as soon as the person on the other line answered. "We have to move fast, the Devil Dogs aren't waiting anymore, they're going to strike and they're going to do it very soon, we have to be prepared."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Eh, I don't really like this chapter as much as I originally did when I thought of it. You know, that feeling when you imagine something and it's better than when you write it? Yeah, it's that feeling. Anyway, I realized I hadn't put a lot of RileyxLoganxRhuben friendship in this story or my recent ones (as it can be hard to show everyone's special friendships with each other) and thought that it would be a good idea to put in here.**

**Hmmmm….honestly, part of me wishes that I didn't put any relationship stuff in until the end of the story, and I may go back and re-write some chapters so Kiley and Lella don't happen until the end of the story, but idk. Next chapter will go more into how Riley and Rhuben try to hide the obvious pain they're in as well as Katie reaching her breaking point with all of the secrecy.**

**Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter and all the drama and problems that it's bringing in. At least Sydney has told the truth about something. And of course, things will all blow up eventually…**

**Anyways, I'll update again soon.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**

**PS – Dirt is a real Australian magazine, not sure if the awards are, for all I know, I made those up.**


	14. Motivation

**.:Chapter Fourteen – Motivation:.**

* * *

><p>Katie frowned as she watched the DarkElements do their sound check, running back and forth across the stage and singing into their microphones as loud as they could as the technicians worked on the feedback levels of the equipment. She couldn't help but wince every time she watched Riley and Rhuben sing; it was obvious to her that they were in pain. Instead of holding their stomachs like they were supposed to, as Noah explained that it was a way for you to make sure you were singing from their diaphragm, they were holding an area right below their ribs. When it came to jumping up and down to the beat of a song, or if they were playing their instruments really hard, they would grimace; an expression of pain quickly moving over their faces.<p>

If she didn't think that anything was wrong then, she definitely knew it now. But, being Riley and Rhuben's friend, she could tell whenever they weren't going to talk about something. And they definitely weren't going to talk about this. So she was going to do the next best thing and just ask Patrick and Noah. Due to the fact that they were best friends she thoroughly believed that if she confronted them about it, they would tell her what was going on. She didn't want to talk to Sydney because she wasn't sure that he would burst into tears or not, and Ronan wasn't a choice because he would probably go right into 'parent mode' and make them clam up even further.

"Wow," Mrs. Knight walked up next to her daughter, a troubled expression on her face. "I don't think I've ever seen them struggle this much," she crossed her arms over her chest as she watched along with Katie. "I know that they have their bad days every now and then, but this seems worse."

"Yeah," Katie nodded slowly. "I get what you mean."

Katie waited until the DarkElements were done with their sound check, and BTR went onstage, before she went over to their dressing room to talk to them about it. She stopped a few feet away from the door when she heard them talking quietly.

"_I don't think that I've __ever__ been in this much pain in my entire life."_

"_I'm surprised that you can't hide it this time, you were so good at it when it was with dad."_

"_Your sarcasm isn't appreciated, Syd."_

"_Just get some ice."_

"_No worries, I got the bandages too."_

Katie cleared her throat loudly as she walked into their dressing room. She looked around at the five of them as they all looked up and gave her bright smiles and a wave of greeting. She looked back at them, somewhat suspiciously as she fully entered the room. She turned to Patrick and Noah, who held a bag of ice and bandages in their hands. "What's the ice and stuff for?"

"I pulled a muscle in my leg," Rhuben replied as she took the objects from her brother's hands, limping a little as she walked across the room. Sydney held onto her elbow as he helped her across the room. "I'm not an old lady, Syd."

"To me you are," Sydney replied with a teasing smile and a giggle. Rhuben let out a short sigh and mussed her baby brother's hair before grabbing onto the ice and bandages their brothers were holding out.

Riley turned to Katie, pulling her long hair up into a ponytail. "What's up, Kates? Did you want to go to the mall or something?" Katie looked over at her and hesitated for a moment before looking over at Patrick and Noah. "Or you want to talk to my brothers. That's cool too." She walked over to Sydney and picked him up under her arm. "Let's go watch the guys do a sound check, if we're lucky, maybe we can watch Carlos walk off the edge of the stage again."

Katie laughed as Sydney pulled himself up onto Riley's back, hooking her arms around her neck. "You might want to walk slower, Ri-Ri," Sydney commented as Rhuben limped behind them. "I think Grandma needs her cane."

"You're really treading on thin ice there, bud." Rhuben warned as she reached out and closed the door to the dressing room behind the three of them.

"So what's up?" Patrick asked as he flopped down on the couch, wiping sweat off of his forehead. "It must be something important if you didn't want the others in here to hear our conversation." He made space on the couch as Noah slowly walked over at sat down, not taking his eyes off of Katie. "Hey Kit-Kat," he waved a hand in front of Katie's face. "What's the matter?"

Katie took a deep breath. "I get that Riley and Rhuben are keeping something from the guys, because they can't keep a secret to save their lives," she looked back and forth between Patrick and Noah. "But I don't get why you would want to keep a secret from me, you can tell me anything. You even, without actually saying it, told me about your guys being abused before the others figured out."

"Yeah," Noah's finger tips twitched as he crossed his arms over his chest, leaning back against the couch. "Because we needed the help and we knew that you wanted to help us."

Katie let out an incredulous laugh as she ran her hands over her face. _Man they really know how to act like nothing's going on. _She studied their faces again. _They're really good at playing dumb. _"Look, I'm not the only one that's sick and tired of this! We know that something's wrong and we want to know now!" She glared at the twin boys, waiting for an answer.

"Katie-"Patrick started.

"Don't patronize me!" Katie snapped, immediately recognizing the tone that he was going to use. "I'm your friend, not a little girl! I can take care of myself and I could knock you out if I really wanted to." She threatened.

Noah raised an eyebrow and turned away. "You wouldn't understand." He murmured.

"I wouldn't understand what?" Katie barked. "That my best friends are acting like I don't even exist? That you are all freaking the rest of us out so much that we can't do anything without wondering how you would react to it? That I'm starting to lose sleep because I'm stressing out over everything that's going on? Or that there's a good chance that you don't want to be our friends anymore?"

"Oh dear God," Noah murmured under his breath, leaning forward and rubbing his temples. "You're completely deluded if you think that we don't want to be your friends anymore."

"I'M _NOT _STUPID," Katie shouted. She was seething with anger at this point. This was the second time that she had been called stupid, the first time by her brother and now by one of her best friends. It was really starting to take a toll on her.

"I DIDN'T SAY YOU WERE!" Noah shouted back, his voice cracking at the end. He lowered his voice as Katie stared back at him, the expression on her face was a mixture of frustration and shock. "I don't need to be accused of something when all I'm doing is helping you."

"Seriously," Patrick slowly shook his head, his eyes suddenly looking shiny. He wiped his arms across his face. "If we could tell you, we would. And you guys," his eyes narrowed as he looked at Katie. "Really need to respect that we don't want to tell you guys what's going on. We don't mean to be harsh, Kates, but one of the things that we really like about you is that you know when to respect someone's space and we just wish that you would do it now."

"I just want to help you guys with whatever problem you're having," Katie mumbled, twirling her finger around a piece of string that was at the end of her shirt. "That's all." _This is so embarrassing, I feel like a little girl that has just been caught with her hand the cookie jar. _"I'm tired of all of this secrecy, why can't things go back to the way things were before? I feel like you're purposefully doing this so I'll hate you…" she paused. "Just like Dad."

"Seriously, it's awesome that you care so much about that," Patrick's voice lowered to a soothing tone. "But it's really nothing that you need to worry about and that we can't handle ourselves." He shook his head. "And the last thing that we want is to stop being your friend."

Katie looked at them through her bangs and let out a sigh. She was happy at that comment, because she wasn't losing her friends at all and it was something that she did to make them act all secretive. But this was still a big part of her that wanted to know what was going on, and she was becoming just as frustrated as everyone else. But she also knew that if either side didn't give up soon, there was going to be a line that would be crossed that wouldn't be able to be fixed.

"Is everything ok in here?" Kendall asked as he lightly knocked on the door, looking concerned. He was covered in sweat and had a towel wrapped around his neck.

"Are you guys done already?" Noah asked with a skeptical eyebrow raise.

"No, but we could hear some shouting from all the way onstage," Kendall replied, pointing over his shoulder. "Is everything ok?" He asked again.

"Kendall," Katie grabbed onto Kendall's arm and dragged him away from his friends. "We need to talk."

"Oh," Kendall smiled down at his sister. "You're not mad that I called you stupid anymore?" He paused as Katie glared up at him, sticking out her lower jaw, her hazel eyes flashing. "Ok, you're still mad," he stated. "But if that's not what you wanted to talk about then what is it?"

"I want to talk to mom about the Jacksons." Katie replied firmly.

* * *

><p>"Do you really think that an intervention is the way to go about this?" Kelly asked Gustavo as she finished arranging the chairs in the center of the suite. "I mean, it's not like they're doing drugs or something? They're just keeping a secret; I think this is going a little overboard."<p>

"Kelly, when it comes to trying to get something out of someone, the best way to do it is with brute force," Gustavo replied as he walked over to the couch and sat down on it, crossing his legs. "And since McGuire won't let me tie them to the chairs to make sure they don't get away, this is the next best thing that we can do."

"Well excuse me for knowing that there are such things as assault charges that you can get for tying someone up." Ronan stated as he crossed his arms over his chest, moving his phone into his pocket. "Plus, it might be traumatizing."

"For you or for them?"

Ronan made a face and Mrs. Knight stepped between the two of them. "Alright guys don't start fighting now." She said gently. "Remember that we're just trying to help them. Now they're going to be here any minute and we don't want to freak them out when they come in here."

She turned to look behind her at Kendall, Logan, Carlos, James, and Katie, who were squished on another one of the couches, looking right ahead, staying quiet. Kendall and Katie had gone to their mom and talked to her about what they thought could have been going on, then the three of them went to Ronan, Kelly, and Gustavo and they all agreed that they would try, once and for all, to talk to the Jacksons about what was going on. Gustavo jumped at the change; according to him, their performances were steadily dwindling downhill and if he could figure out the reason behind it, he was going to figure it out. But the others, like they had been saying all along, they were just trying to figure out what was going on and how they could help their friends. So they all gathered into Gustavo's suite and called the Jacksons over, saying they just wanted to talk about their plans for the rest of the tour, as a ruse to get them there. It was a dirty trick, but they were sure that they would take the bait and show up.

"Are you guys ready?" Mrs. Knight asked them.

"Yeah," Logan replied with a sigh, rubbing his hands together. "As ready as we're going to be."He looked up, along with the others, as the door to the suite opened and the Jacksons trooped into the room. Patrick stopped, his eyebrows furrowing together as soon as he saw the set up of the room.

"What is this?" He asked. "And intervention?"

_How could he have possibly known that fast? _Katie thought to herself as Ronan motioned for them all to sit down. _He must watch as much TV as I do. _She shook her head and tried not to look directly at them, knowing that she would crack if she did so. And she didn't want to be the first one to start talking.

"Just please sit down," Mrs. Knight replied with a calm smile. "We just want to talk."

"Ok," Rhuben replied slowly as she lowered herself into a chair, an arm wrapped loosely around her stomach. Her lips twitched as she twisted herself to get comfortable, squeezing her eyes shut briefly. Noah gave her a sympathetic look before quickly reaching out and patting her hand, as well as giving it a gentle squeeze. She gave him a soft smile in reply.

"What did you want to talk about?" Sydney asked, pulling his legs up onto the seat of his chair, resting his arms on his knees.

There was intense silence after that. Kendall, Logan, Carlos, James, Katie, Mrs. Knight, Ronan, Kelly, and Gustavo just looked at each other, each wondering who was going to be the first one to say something. But how could you bring it up without them getting mad again? How could you force them to sit there and listen to you tell them that something is wrong when they didn't want to admit it in the first place?

"Are you drug dealers?" Carlos blurted out after a second.

"Carlos!" Kendall, Logan, and James snapped in unison.

"What?" Riley and Rhuben cried at the same time, shock, horror, and intense irritation evident on their faces. "You think we're drug dealers?" She asked at the same time that Patrick, Noah, and Sydney cried, "You think they're drug dealers?"

"How could you think we're drug dealers?""How could you think they're drug dealers?"

"ARE YOU NUTS?" They concluded in unison.

"Ok," Carlos twiddled his thumbs against each other. "Maybe they're _not_ drug dealers." His shoulders slumped as he placed his hands into his lap. Now he didn't want to keep going, knowing that they were upset. But he knew that it had to be done.

"Then what's going on?" Mrs. Knight asked calmly. "We know that you guys have been acting very secretive and we just wanted to let you know that we're all very worried." She exchanged glances with Ronan. "We're so worried that we even thought that Robert was trying to contact you again."

Rhuben snorted. "Yeah, like that's going to happen." She waved her hand. "Our adoption was closed; he can't contact us without getting life added onto his sentence." She turned to Sydney. "Right?" He nodded in reply.

"Besides," Riley crossed her arms over her chest, jutting her right hip out. "Isn't there such thing as having some privacy?" She tapped her chin. "You know that thing that you have in your diary, on your laptop," she then lowered her hand and glared at Kendall, Logan, Carlos, and James. "Or on _your phone! _HOW COULD YOU TRY AND GO THROUGH MY PHONE?_"_

"How do you even know that we _tried_ to go through your phone?" Carlos asked, looking completely confused. His palms were now flooded with sweat, and from how quietly his friends were sitting, he knew that they were trying not to be completely intimidated under her glare.

"I have it set up where you get locked out of the phone after a certain amount of tries," Riley sneered back. "And when Kendall 'found' my phone, I turned it on and saw the message and since I was the last one to use my phone, how do you think that possibly happened?"

"Well, this wouldn't have happened if you guys would just tell us what's going on!" Kendall leapt to his feet.

"NOTHING'S GOING ON!" Rhuben shouted at the top of her lungs suddenly. "So we want to be alone every now and then," She sucked in a few deep breaths, trying to calm down. "Is there a problem with that?" Her eyes scanned the boys, but they stayed silent.

"Ok," Logan licked his lips as he clasped his hands together. "I know that you guys, in your heads, are still dealing with your abuse and everything, and it makes sense, because f the fact-"

"We're people Logan, not science experiments," Noah finally spoke up, giving him a hostile look. "Don't psychoanalyze us."

Logan's eyebrows rose as he looked over at the adults. He had never heard Noah speak to someone like that, not even when it was someone that was making fun of his brothers. He figured that the adults would just in to say something, but they just stayed silent. _I guess that's our fault, we said that we wanted to talk to them first, and that they could be here for support. Now it's blowing up in our faces._

"Then why are they always acting so jumpy?" Katie demanded, pointing over to Patrick, Noah, and Sydney. "Every time I try to talk to them about what it is, they basically freak out before I can even get a question out."

"How can you _not _after being accused of something over and over again." Patrick stated through gritted teeth. "I mean, how would you take it if I kept demanded if you had a crush on Dak, when I know you don't? That'd get annoying, right?"

"But do you _not_ get that it's hurting our friendship?" Katie asked, letting out a sigh of frustration. "We just want you to be honest with us." She motioned over to Kendall. "It's like what Kendall said, we can take you pushing us away for a little bit, but it's only going to take so much before we stop being your friend."

"Oh yeah," Noah's eyebrows twitched. "You're forgetting another part that makes up friendship; the tendency to desire what is best for the other." He slapped his hands down at his sides.

"Why are you being so stubborn?" James demanded.

"Why are you being so pushy?" Riley shot back.

"ENOUGH!" Gustavo roared, getting to his feet, shocking everyone into silence. He pointed over at Big Time Rush and Katie. "DOGS…PUPPY, SIT!" They all slowly moved to sit back down on the couch. "YOU TOO!" He turned to the Jacksons who backed up into the five chairs that were set up and sat down as well. He turned to Ronan. "Now, will you please just tell them what you know, so this madness can stop?"

"Fine," Ronan shot a glare over at Gustavo before getting up to his feet. He walked over to his kids and looked down at them. "Is the reason that you guys are acting so weird because of Alice Wattson?" He asked slowly, gauging their reactions. "He was the one that could have quite possibly caused the car accident that Kacy, Kelly, and Gustavo got in."

"Hang on a tick," Riley held up a hand. "_You're_ the one that told the police about Malice?" She gave Ronan an odd look.

"Who's Alice?" Kendall asked, making a face. "Or is it Malice?" His eyes widened and he exchanged looks with his friends. "Wait," he turned to Sydney. "Is that what you mean when you said that you didn't want to say anything because of my safety?" He turned from Riley to Sydney, who suddenly paled. "And what you meant when you said that Riley and Rhuben had made some bad friends back home?"

Sydney looked up at Ronan's face and winced before tuning and putting his face into Riley's side. She gave him a fond smile as she put an arm around his shoulders.

"How did you know that we knew Malice?" Rhuben asked Ronan slowly.

"How did _you _know about him going to jail?" Kelly asked, now looking as confused as the others. "We had seen some of the teenager's faces after we got into the car accident and Ronan recognized it as Alice Wattson, whom you obviously know." She cleared her throat. "He knew who Alice was because he was so worried about you guys that he was starting to become worried that Robert was doing something to you guys, and when it wasn't that, he still knew that he recognized Alice somehow from when he was working with you guys back home. He found out that you guys used to get into a lot of fights and that you hung out with a bad crowd, and that you regularly hung out with Alice."

"So, what? Has Alice been stalking you or something?" Carlos asked, scratching his forehead. Rhuben silently nodded, her feet started to twitch and she did as she could to make sure they didn't touch the ground. "Why didn't you tell us? He could have really hurt you if he's not that nice of a person."

"It's pretty normal," Patrick commented with a shrug. "I mean, since we're a band we're bound to have some crazy fans following us around." He looked away. "We just thought that we would be able to deal with it ourselves." Noah nodded.

"So _that's_ why you were keeping it a secret," James finally put the pieces together. He grabbed onto Kendall's shoulder and lightly shook him. "You flipped for nothing over the safety comment. I bet he didn't even really do anything to hurt anyone. I bet he just acted like some sort of a badass to get some street cred."

"We just hung out when we were back in Aus," Riley agreed with a slow nod, cracking her knuckles. "He was only seen as a badass because he got into fights at school and hardly ever did his school work." She looked up at Ronan and then at the rest of her friends. "Sorry for making you worry," she mumbled.

"It's like Patrick said, we just thought we could deal with it on our own." Rhuben agreed. "But as usual, that just blew up in our faces."

"It's only because we care so much," Katie said and walked over to Rhuben, giving her a soft smile. "We helped you get rid of your dad, why wouldn't we want to help you with this too?" She beamed as Rhuben reached out and mussed Katie's hair before giving her a gentle hug.

"I'm sorry that I had to dig through your guys' past," Ronan apologized as he pulled Noah into his arms for a hug. Noah gladly gave him a hug in return. "I was just worried, especially since you guys weren't talking to me as much as you usually do. But then when I knew that it was Alice that was around, I had a feeling that I knew what was going on." He looked over at Patrick, Riley, and Rhuben. "I'm sorry that I didn't come talk to you guys first, I just thought it would be better this way. And then when Kendall and Katie came to us about this…" he shrugged.

"It's ok, Ronan, we understand," Patrick gave a fleeting smile.

"Sorry that we became such jerks," Logan apologized, sensing that it was ok for them all to come over to them now. He slowly edged over with Kendall, James, and Carlos, so they were standing with Katie and the Jacksons. Sydney had finally taken his face out of Riley's side and had gone back to his cheerful self, kicking his legs back and forth as he sat on the chair. "Like Ronan, we were just worried."

"Eh, if it was us, we'd be worried too," Riley waved a hand. "But we were just hoping that you guys wouldn't get bothered by it, since you already helped us so much before."

"But why wouldn't we want to help you now?" James asked, his eyebrows rising. "I mean, it doesn't even come close to thanking you with how much you're helping us with our music and our tour. You know we're always going to help you when we can."

"Yeah," Patrick nodded. "We know."

* * *

><p><strong>AN: What did you think of Katie's part of the chapter? I hope I kept her in character. I also didn't really like how I made the 'intervention' go, but I also liked how I made it that they were all mad at each other, because it was bound to happen eventually. So I had to bring the adults in an interesting way, which is why I had them stage a sort of intervention at the end. What did you think of the Jackson' reactions to be asked if they were drug dealers? I thought it was funny, and I wanted to throw a little bit of humor in here. **

**I probably should have shown Kendall, Katie, and Mrs. Knight talking about it. I'll go back and add that in later as soon as I flesh it all out. So feel free to re-read when I put up a tweet about it.  
><strong>

**I hope that this chapter wasn't as confusing to you as it was for me to read it. If anyone was confused, Riley and Rhuben only confessed to what the adults/BTR and Katie wanted them to confess to, that something was wrong. So they confessed to knowing Alice and that he had been following them around and that it was starting to scare them. Of course that's only part of the whole thing that's going on. I hope that helped explain things.**

**I hope you guys like this chapter, and I'll update again soon.**

**Thanks to **_MysticMelody101, shotinthedark, LogieLuvr914, BigTimeFan-'10, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, Got2LiveItBigTIme, DarkElement-Jackson-Fan, Rage-Against-Time, Jenna, Rayna, youspinmelikearecord, and 2lazy2signin_** for reviewing.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	15. Shot In The Dark

**.:Chapter Fifteen – Shot In The Dark:.**

**This is somewhat of a third person omniscient chapter, but it's still mostly in Logan's POV and it's one, long, continuous scene.**

* * *

><p>"<em>I want domination, I want your submission. I see you're not resisting, to this temptation. I've got one confession, I love deprivation. I've got a jet black heart, it's all fucked up, and it's falling apart"<em>

Rhuben sighed, her voice echoing through the empty venue, as she placed a hand on the side of her stomach, squeezing her eyes shut as a wave of pain rolled over her. She was getting used to it, due to the fact that she had dealt with her abuse for so long, it was actually pretty easy to hide pain when you're used to it. But now, she was sure that she needed to go to a doctor soon. It was hard for her to breathe and her chest burned each and every time she tried. She knew she had to go to a doctor soon, but hadn't figured out a way to do so without Ronan finding out, since she was still a minor.

_Geez, Pat was right, _Rhuben shook her head as she moved her hand from her waist, taking in a deep breath. _The gang business really __is__ a pain in the ass. But as long as my friends are safe, it's worth it._

"Sometimes I wonder why you guys sing the songs that you do, but then I remember that it's always about something you experienced," Logan commented as she walked out onstage, over to Rhuben, his hands shoved into the front pockets of his jeans. "But I can assure you now that you don't have a jet black heart."

"Nice," Rhuben shot him a half-smile in reply before crossing her arms over her chest and turning to him. "What are you doing here, Logie? I thought you went out with the others?"

James, Carlos, Patrick, Noah, and Katie had gone out to get something to eat before the show started that night. While they all did have a caterer that they hired to go with them so they could have the food they wanted, there was still a lot of complaints about what they could and couldn't eat. And after Gustavo had screamed at Carlos for having pizza right before a show and then having the caterers give them food that they were less than happy with, they came to the conclusion that it was a better idea to go and buy their own food. Last time she saw Kendal land Riley, though, they were writing a song together or something. At the time, they were arguing about how the song did or did not sound right, and she was definitely not going to get into the middle of it; especially since the three of them had such strong opinions at times it would just complicate things even further.

"Oh, I was," Logan replied, pointing over his shoulder with his thumb. "But then I realized that I hadn't seen you all day," Logan then gave her a concerned look as he rested a hand on her cheek. "Is everything ok?"

"Yes, Dad, everything's fine." Rhuben said as she took a step back, lightly grabbing onto Logan's hand before quickly letting it go. "I'm just practicing for the show tonight." She raised and lowered one shoulder. "I haven't been doing well these past couple of days."

Logan made a slight face, obviously not wanting to agree with her. "I wasn't going to say anything…"

"You're too nice to say anything." Rhuben replied with a smirk before starting to pace around the stage. Subconsciously, her eyes darted around the seats of the venue.

Rhuben was suddenly aware that she wasn't feeling very well. It wasn't particularly hot in the venue, but she was sweating. The skin on her forehead and the back of her neck was damp, as if she had caught a fever. There was a pounding in her head and she was almost finding it difficult to breathe. What was wrong with her? It was five o'clock in the afternoon. She hadn't had lunch yet, so for once the catering couldn't be blamed. She felt a pain in her chest and realized that her ribs were throbbing like some sort of biological alarm clock that had just gone off. As if it was reminding her…

Or warning her.

No. It was impossible. It couldn't be happening. Not there. Very slowly, forcing herself to not give anything away, Rhuben turned her head. She was just a bored teenage girl looking around the venue that she was going to perform in that night, she told herself. If there was really someone there, if they were focusing on her now, he mustn't give them an excuse to fire. Because that Devil Dog was a sharpshooter. She had no doubt of it. Why else would he have his head down and his shoulders hunched unless he was trying not to be noticed? There was no sign of him now, but Rhuben visualized the shape and size of the bag he had with him and knew with the ice-cold grip of certainty exactly what it must have contained.

He was up there somewhere, hiding. Rhuben looked again, scanning the seemingly empty stands. Yes. There he was, lying flat on his stomach with his head pointing her way. He was partly concealed behind a pillar and a row of seats in front of him. Rhuben couldn't see the gun, but she could sense it and knew there could only be one target he was aiming at.

There is a sort of telepathy between the hunter and the hunted, between the sharpshooter and his target. Rhuben couldn't possibly know when the teenager was going to fire, but she jerked back instinctively, and it seemed to her that there was a faint tinkle and a thud at exactly that same moment. Right in front of her feet a gas appeared as if by magic in the surface of the stage, splinters of wood flying upward. Rhuben stared at the damage. The enormity y of what had just happened flooded over her. Someone had taken a shot at her. Someone had tried to kill her. It was definitely the Devil Dogs; they were going to get rid of her, even if she was with her friends. They weren't going to wait any longer to get done what they had planned for years. If she had been still listening to Logan, instead of pacing like she usually did when she zoned out, the bullet would have driven into the top of her head.

"Bella…..?" Logan had seen her sudden movement, but he hadn't noticed the tiny, round hole in the floor of the stage. Even if he had, it would have taken him several more seconds to put it all together. Sharpshooters don't fire at people in arenas, especially not at people who were on tour. As far as she could see, Rhuben had just had some sort of involuntary spasm, either that or she had been stung by something.

The many rows of seats suddenly seemed a thousand miles away.

"Get down!" Rhuben didn't shout, but there could be no mistaking the urgency in her voice. "Someone's shooting at us."

"What?" Logan asked, frowning.

Rhuben backed away from her spot onstage, towards the drum set, moving out of the sharpshooter's sigh line before he could fire a second shot. She knew that while she was in the area, she was putting Logan in danger. She saw him look at the floor and notice the hole in the wood, and he knew that she was telling the truth.

Panic was already sweeping over his face.

"Get down, Logan!" This time Rhuben shouted the words louder.

And then there was a second shot. Logan cried out and ducked to the floor just as a bullet went whizzing over his head. He looked up in shock and Rhuben stared back at him, her eyes filled with an emotion that he couldn't quite place. _What's going on?_

Rhuben glanced at the sharpshooter, knowing that she couldn't offer herself as a target. But if he fired again, Logan would be directly in his line of fire. It was the plan the whole time, get rid of their friends close to them, and then slowly go after her and Riley last, to make it look like an accident. But she wasn't going to let that happen. Rhuben ran three paced and threw herself at Logan, rugby-tackling him to the ground. Logan let out a cry of shock as he felt her crash into him, the force of her tackle pushing them back across the stage a few feet.

"What the fuck was that?" Logan grabbed onto Rhuben's arms, looking right at her. "Bella, what's going on? I need to know!"

"Well, if you sit there for a few more seconds, you won't think another thought 'cause of a bullet that's going to go right through your brain." Rhuben replied as she rolled to her feet, she whipped something from her pocket and Logan slapped his hands over her ears as there were four consecutive popping sounds. grabbing Logan by the arms and back peddling across the stage, dragging him with her.

Logan let out another cry as a hole appeared on the ground in between his feet. _What the hell is going on? What's she not telling me? How is she able to pull me across the stage like this? _Millions of thoughts were running through Logan's head. Half of him was thinking that he had to get out of there or else he would probably lose his toes in the next gun blast, but the other (rational) part of him wanted to know what was going on and why they were being shot at. His adrenaline was running through his veins, pumping his heart so hard against his ribcage that it was starting to make him feel sick.

Logan heard the sound of a gun cocking and scrambled to his feet, grabbing Rhuben's arms and pulling her offstage. His body was covered in sweat and he was breathing heavily. He turned to Rhuben, holding out a hand in indignation. "What. Just. Happened?"

"Do you think I have time to explain this to you?" Rhuben snapped back as she started to pace back and forth. "I mean, someone just pointed a gun at your head and you think you have time to ask me what just happened?" He could immediately tell that she was stressed beyond comprehension as she got very snippy, paced a lot, and spoke really fast (on the verge of rambling, all those signs together) when she was stressed.

"Well, I just think that it would be great to know _why_ I was almost killed?" Logan replied, calming down only slightly. "Especially since there's a," he paused and started to count on his fingers. "75% chance that that person is actually _trying_ to hit me."

"No, I'm pretty sure he's trying to hit me." Rhuben replied, bringing her hands up to her forehead as she continued to pace. She started to mutter under her breath as she continued to walk back and forth.

Logan stared at he watched her, not sure what to do. His mind had hit overload and at that moment it wasn't comprehending what she was trying to say. If she was trying to say anything. _You've always known her to be sort of short with her explanations, even though she can be the most direct person on the planet. Then again, she never reveals her true emotions after having a few moments to think about that true emotion. _He could see that she was really battling with herself on what to do.

All of a sudden, rapid footsteps and heavy breathing reached his ears and he turned to see Kendall and Riley sprinting their way. Kendall's face held a expression of confusion, which rivaled Riley's expression of relief when they ran up to him. "Oh, thank god you guys are ok." She breathed, placing her hands on her hips. She paused when she saw Rhuben pacing and stepped towards her sister, placing a hand on her shoulder. "You _are _ok, right?"

"We're fine," Rhuben replied with a short nod. Riley nodded back and pulled her hand away.

Logan then noticed the swelling on the side of her face that she was trying to hide. He could tell that she had been hit by something and just recently, the skin was already turning black and blue, and her eye was squinted, almost shut. He couldn't contain his sharp intake of breath, surprised. "Landy, what happened to your face?" Logan asked, noticing that her eye was already swelling.

"What does it look like, Logie?" Riley shot back, her face already red. "I got hit in the fucking eye!" She moved her hand to cover up her eye.

"Yeah, and in the stomach," Kendall replied, shooting a frown her way. "Did you see this?" He grabbed the bottom of Riley's shirt and lifted it up to reveal her bruised stomach. Riley smacked his hand away and pulled her shirt back down.

"Would you _stop_ molesting me?" She snapped.

"Wait," Logan held up his hands, already feeling a headache going on. "What's going on?" He motioned to Riley. "What happened to your eye and what happened to your stomach?"

"Long story short," Kendall jumped in before Riley could even open her mouth. "After we were done writing that song, which we only got partway through, we were going to go meet the others in the city, but a block away from here, we were surrounded by these guys dressed in purple. This one guy said 'Finally we found you; we've been waiting long enough'. And because _I _don't know what's going on, I turn to see if Riley knew what he was talking about and by the dumbstruck look on her face, I knew that he was talking to her. Before we could even more to defend ourselves, they jumped us; Riley did some weird," he waved his hands in the air. "Head smashing thing, we ran back here, and I find out that she has _bruises _all over her stomach!"

"Ok," Logan blinked once, shaking his head, before turning to Riley. "Landy, what happened?"

"Didn't we _just_ go over this?"

"We don't have time for this, boofhead!" Rhuben barked at the same time. She sucked in a deep breath and turned to Riley. "How many of them were around when they jumped you?"

"Four or five," Riley replied quickly, wiping sweat off of her forehead. She moved her hand into her pocket, gripping something ashHer eyes narrowed in thought. "And if one of them is here, then-"her eyes suddenly flew wide open with shock and fear. She let out a little squeak and then turned grabbing, Kendall by the front of his shirt. "Where did Katie say she was going?"

"Are you _trying_ to pull out my chest hair?" Kendall asked, moving to push her hands off of him.

"What, you mean all three of them?" Logan shot back dryly. His sarcasm was coming back and his breaths were returning, the adrenaline was starting to fade away. But the fear and the anxiety was definitely still there. All of a sudden, there was a loud _WHAM_ causing the four of them to jump. Logan took the lead as they sprinted back onstage to find the source of the sound, and saw a emergency exit door slowly getting pulled back into its original position, hearing footsteps fade away.

"Fuck! Bloody, fucking, hell!" Rhuben spat, starting to pace again. "Where'd he go?"

"Bella, calm down," Logan grabbed onto her shoulders and gently started to rub her arms. "You're starting to scare me." He didn't know what it was, probably shock, but all of a sudden he was as calm as he had been ten minutes before.

"FOCUS!" Riley and Rhuben yelled in unison.

"We have more to worry about without you being scared. I'm scared enough." Riley looked at her watch and pushed her hair off of hre forehead before turning back to Kendall. "I'm only going to ask this fucking question, one more time," Riley said through gritted teeth, her shoulders up to her ears. "Where. Did. Katie. And. The. Others. Go?"

"Uh, they went into town." Kendall replied, squeezing his eyes shut as he thought about it, obviously hearing the warning tone in her voice. "Something about getting something to eat…uh…uh…" he started to bite his nails and Riley knocked his hand away from his mouth. "They're going to Red Robin." He noticed the look that the twin girls exchanged. "Why? Are they in trouble?"

"They could be," Rhuben replied grimly before jumping off the end of the stage. "Come on, we don't have much time." She, Kendall, Riley, and Logan started to run through the standing area of the arena, their footsteps echoing around the empty seats. "Where are Gustavo and them?"

"Back at the hotel." Logan replied, keeping up with the other easily. Having gone from playing hockey religiously to going into a boy band, he grew used to conditioning very quickly. Well, he didn't take it nearly as seriously as James did, but he was glad that he wasn't as out of shape as he was before. "At least, that's where they said they would be for a while."

"Good, then they shouldn't have any problems." Rhuben replied.

Logan sucked in a deep breath of air as he pushed himself up the stairs at the back of the stadium and followed Riley and Rhuben out into the concessions area of the area. It nerved him a bit to suddenly realize how alone they were the whole time and how someone was able to get in without being detected. They could have planted a bomb for all anyone knew and they probably would have been able to get in and out with no problems. He shook the thought from his head and followed his friends outside, his legs and lungs burning, but he pushed himself to keep up with them.

"Which way to the Red Robin?" Riley asked, holding onto her side, a pained expression on her face, as if she had a cramp.

"That way," Rhuben pointed behind her twin sister. She then looked worried. "Do you think we'll get there in time by running? Wouldn't a taxi be better?"

Riley shook her head. "Too many people we'd put in danger."

"Would someone _please_ tell us what's going on?" Kendall demanded, his hands on his knees, sucking in air by the mouthful.

Logan stayed silent. As much as he would like to know what was going on as well, he knew that there was a time and a place for it. And right now, he could see that it was probably better to follow the twin sisters and listen to what they had to say instead of wasting time asking lots of questions. Somehow, he knew that something big was going to happen. The hairs on the back of his neck were standing on end and even though he was sweating and it was very warm out, a chill ran down his spine. He looked at Riley's and Rhuben's faces and just nodded at them. He wasn't sure if they understood, but he was trying to convey to him that he understood that they didn't want to answer questions now and he was going to wait. He was going to do whatever he was told and wait until they told him themselves what was going on.

He knew that his friends were in danger and if they didn't get moving soon, things would probably get worse. He looked back over at Kendall and stared into his green eyes, trying to tell him what he thought. For some reason, the words weren't coming out of his mouth. It was like his body was using all of his energy just to keep him running and to follow orders. Much like what happened when they were around Gustavo, but this was more dangerous.

This was life and death.

Kendall must have recognized his serious look, for he closed his mouth and nodded. With that, the four friends took off running again, Kendall and Logan following Riley and Rhuben the whole way. Logan's heart jammed into his throat as they ran; they pushed people out of their way, they ran across busy streets, they even knocked a few people over as they ran to find their friends. But it was worth it, people were going to get in your way when you were trying to get somewhere as fast as possible. Logan skidded around a corner, almost falling as he did so, and relaxed when he spotted James, Carlos, Patrick, Noah, Sydney, and Katie.

They were all talking to someone, not looking like they were in much trouble, but Logan recognized from their body language that they were annoyed, if not nerved, by something. As they hurried closer, he saw that Austen was talking to them, his green eyes wide and wild looking.

"Austen!" Rhuben gasped when she spotted him. "What are you doing here?"

"What're you doing to my sister?" Kendall spat, hurrying over to her and grabbing her by the shoulders. "If you're upsetting her, I swear I'll-"

"Nothing," Austen replied quickly, looking over his shoulder. "I haven't been doing anything to her. I've been trying to-"

"He's been trying to get us to leave and we want to know why!" James broke in, his eyes flashing and his hands clenched into fists. "You already threatened us once, if you do it again, I won't hesitate to punch your nose in."

"That's fine," Austen replied quickly, taking a step back. "But could you leave so you can do it somewhere else. It's not safe here!" His eyes darted around the group of friends. "Really, you all have to leave _now_!"

Logan looked over at Patrick, Noah, and Sydney then. They all had wide eyes and kept looking at their sisters as if they didn't know what to do. He had a sneaking suspicion of something then. Over the past few days he had done a bit of research about Austen and a few of the attacks and the deaths that had been going on while they had been going on tour. None of that bothered him until he had gotten to Minnesota and he saw that new bulleting about a young couple being attacked. But now…he may have figured out everything that had been going on, and how it all tied together…

"You don't have much time," Austen continued to say as Logan snapped back to focus.

"I thought you were weird before," Carlos stated, his upper lip curled. "But now I think you're fucking psychotic. Why won't you just leave us alone? How do you _always _ know where we're going to be?"

_Because he's been following us. _Logan told himself suddenly. It shocked him to even _think_ those words. But he now realized that it was true. _The only way that he could possibly know where we are each and every time we run into him is if he's been following us. Maybe he was the one that shot at us too. _He grabbed onto Noah's arm and started to back away. _We need to get away from this guy._

"Let's go," Riley grabbed onto Carlos' elbow and started to tug him back. "He sounds serious, come on and-"

She was cut off by consecutive loud popping sounds. **POP POP POP POP POP POP. **_Immediately_, Austen dove forward and knocked Carlos to the ground as the others ducked down instinctively. Storefront windows and windshields on the cars around them exploded, showering them with glass as a car alarm went off. There screams and the sound of people running and screaming accompanied with the sound of screeching tires.

Austen got to his feet and ran off down the street.

"Is everyone ok?" Logan asked, moving his arm from his face. He checked himself and was glad to see that he hadn't gotten hit by any flying glass. He quickly looked around him and saw that James, Patrick, and Noah looked relatively ok as well, just shaken up. He then looked behind him and saw Kendall, Riley, Rhuben, and Sydney were slowly getting up as well.

A few splatters of blood caught his eye and he turned, following the trail.

"KATIE!"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Everything (finally) came to the climax. Did you guys guess that this was going to happen to Katie? I foreshadowed it in a very early chapter and I wasn't sure if anyone caught it. Instead of explain what happened with Kendall and Riley, would you guys rather me to go back and show it as well? 'Cause I wasn't sure about that. This chapter was from Logan's POV, which is why I had a lot of trouble deciding whether or not to put it in there, since I wanted it to mostly focus on him. So what did you think? Also, I'm not sure if I'm going to update this every day like I did with Fairy Tale Nightmare.  
><strong>

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**

****PS –Still looking for some story ideas, thanks shotinthedark, for an idea I have so far, but I'm still taking suggestions. **The ideas can be for stories with only the BTR characters and stories with my characters so...you can e-mail, tweet, PM, or formspring me any ideas. Thanks!******

****Speaking of which, is anyone else besides me annoyed of all the real-person fics in here and on in general when it's against the rules?  
><strong>**


	16. Easier To Run

**.:Chapter Sixteen – Easier to Run:.**

* * *

><p>Kendall turned sharply on his heel and went back in the direction that he came. Once he ran out of space, he turned back and started to pace in front of his friends again.<p>

Back and forth…

Back and forth…

Back and forth…

Back and-

"Kendall, if you're going to pace like that, at least take a walk around the hospital," James said as he grabbed onto Kendall's arm, stopping his endless back and forth motion. "You're going to wear a hole in the floor." Kendall stopped pacing and turned to James with hollow eyes. Couldn't he see? He couldn't go anywhere without knowing what had happened to his sister. "Katie's going to be ok, but it's not helping the others," James tossed his head back to where the Jacksons and Carlos were sitting in chairs, silently, also waiting for news on their friends. "By you being so restless."

As soon as they had gotten to the hospital and taken Katie away on a stretcher, Kendall was a mess. He snapped at anyone that asked him a question or tried to comfort him, he demanded to know what was going on with practically every doctor that crossed his path, and he berated them whenever he didn't get a satisfactory answer. But no one could blame him, his baby sister was hurt, the one person that he vowed that he would protect. He couldn't do his job as his big brother and now it was killing him. He couldn't even stop to think what Katie thought of him now, what she thought because he couldn't protect her. It killed him, just even wondering about it.

"Alright," Kendall agreed and turned, allowing James to lead him away from the waiting area. He was in a daze. "Where's Logan?" He hadn't noticed his friend in the waiting area.

"Talking to Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, WayneWayne, and anyone else from the Palm Woods that's constantly calling to know what's going on." James replied as the two of them strolled through the hallways of the hospital. "He knew that you wouldn't be able to talk, and because he wants to be a doctor and all, he says its good practice." He gave a short smile, hoping that Kendall would at least find a trace of humor in the situation.

He didn't.

Kendall just nodded silently.

"And your mom, Gustavo, Ronan, and Kelly are in the receptionist area, filling out papers." James added.

When they had gotten to the hospital, Kendall was so distraught he didn't know what to do first. Sydney called his dad, and that caused Ronan, Gustavo, and Kelly to rush to the hospital, where Kendall was in near hysterics, blinded by his tears and trying to figure out what the answers to some of the admission questions were. He had given up as soon as his mother had gotten there. Like a little boy, he ran over to her and held onto her as the two of them cried. It wasn't until Mrs. Knight calmed down enough that Kendall went to the waiting room.

In retrospect, he couldn't fathom how strong his mother was being at a time like this, and he was proud that she was his mother. If she could get through something like this with ease, then he could too. He could at least try.

"Ok," Kendall nodded again. The two continued to walk along in silence, and even though they weren't saying anything, James' being there at least made him relax a little bit. Ever since they were young, if Kendall was ever mad, just knowing that his friends were there for him always made things better.

"Oh," James slowed to a stop. He bit his lower lip in worry, turning to Kendall. "Maybe we should go the other way…"

Kendall looked up and saw Austen being led down the hallway, his arms behind his back and a police officer walking close behind him, making sure he wouldn't try to get away. Kendall bristled when he saw him, he was there when Katie was being shot at, he was there trying to tell them something about getting away, and then they were shot at and that was when Katie was hurt. He knew that he had something to do with it. Kendall glared as Austen lifted his head and they locked eyes.

Austen looked away for a moment, and then looked back at Kendall, heading straight for him.

"I just want you to know," Austen said as he got the police officer to stop him by Kendall. "I didn't intend for any of this to happen." He said sincerely. "I tried to get you guys away from there, but you wouldn't listen to me. I tried so hard…" He swallowed thickly and shook his head. "The gang and I…we were just doing our part of the deal. Riley and Rhuben wanted us to help protect you guys, but I guess it got out of hand." He looked down at his feet for a moment and then up at Kendall. "I know how you feel; I have a little sister named Ashley…if anything like this happened to her…" he cut off the rest of his sentence, licking his lips. "I'm sorry."

"Come on," the officer nudged Austen forward and they walked down the hall and turned the corner, out of sight.

Kendall slowly started to walk back to the waiting area, where his friends were. _He's got to be mistaken; they couldn't have been behind this. They couldn't have been lying to us this whole time. _He walked back to the waiting area in a trance.

"Kendall," James warned as he followed after his friend, almost having to run as he was moving so fast. "Kendall, don't do anything you'll regret."

_They couldn't have been lying to us. _Kendall spotted the Jacksons and walked over to them. "Tell me the truth," Kendall said in a low voice, walking over to Riley. She had stood up when she saw him approaching and now looked at him with confusion. "Are you, or have you ever been a part of that gang?"

Riley looked like she wanted to lie. Instead, she took a deep breath, swallowed thickly, and nodded. "Yes," she replied quietly.

_I don't believe this. _Kendall's eyes widened in disbelief.

He wanted her to say it, deep down in his bones he knew that that was what she was going to say. But he just wished that his intuition, for once wasn't right. He wished that she hadn't caused all of this. He wished that this girl, his best friend, wasn't the cause of the pain that he was now going through. But it was true, she just said it herself. Kendall felt anger rise through his veins, his heart started pumping so hard he felt sick. He had to get out of there or he was going to do something he'd regret.

"I'm outta here!" Kendall spat. He grabbed his flannel shirt off of a chair with a sharp snap of his wrist.

"No," Riley moved and blocked Kendall's way. "Please don't go." She chewed her lower lip as she looked right at him. She flinched as he turned his gaze to her.

"Get the _fuck _out of my way." Kendall said quietly, his eyes boring into hers coldly. "I swear to fucking god, if you don't move, I won't be able to stop myself from doing something stupid."

"Please," Riley reached out and grabbed onto Kendall's arm. Anyone could see that she was starting to become hysterical. "No, please. I can fix this, I promise!" Her lower jaw started to tremble as tears sprang to her eyes. "Please, just give me a chance to fix it." A tear swelled out of her right eye and moved down her cheek, but she didn't move to wipe it away.

Kendall gave a humorless laugh that accompanied a sarcastic smile as he pulled his arm away. "You know what; somehow I don't think you can."

"What's going on?" Kendall turned and looked over his shoulder to see Logan walking over to them, putting his phone back into his pocket, looking concerned. Logan's brown eyes moved over to Riley, his concern deepening. "Why's Landy crying?" He looked over at James and Carlos, who looked uncomfortable, mad, and weary at the same time. "What is it?"

"Why don't you ask Rhuben," Kendall replied, turning back around, this time looking over at Rhuben, who was sitting on a chair, looking at her hands, which were clasped together in her lap. She only looked up when Kendall said her name. Her eyes were wide and no one could miss the look of fear that flashed through them. "I think she has a _lot_ to tell you."

"Bella?" Logan asked, turning to her. She lowered her head again. He moved forward ad kneeled in front of her, brushing her hair from her face. "Bella, what's going on?" His voice shook as she didn't answer him. "Bells-"

"Why don't you tell him, Rhu?" Kendall broke in, but as he spoke, he kept his eyes on Riley, who was silently crying. "Why don't you tell him how you and Riley here hid the fact that you were in a gang from us. Why don't you tell him that you were the one that caused Katie to get shot! Oh I know, because you love keeping secrets don't you? You kept a secret that you were being abused, you made Logan keep your guys' relationship from _us _his _best buds_ and now you've kept the secret that you were in a gang."

"What?" Logan looked over at Carlos and James, who looked back at him, solemn expressions on their faces. It was probably the first time that he had ever seen them that quiet. He took a quick look at Riley before turning to Rhuben. "He's kidding, right?" He licked his lips. "Please…tell me he's kidding. _Tell me it's not true_!"

"Logan," Rhuben finally spoke, her tone giving away that she was about to start crying. "You don't understand-"

"I don't believe you," Logan backed away, dropping her hands, as if they were on fire. "I asked you again and again if something was going on and you fucking lied to me."

"Hey," Noah stood up, moving next to his sister and gently placing a hand on her back. "Just calm down, alright." He held up his free hand and pushed Logan backwards a few steps, making sure to put distance between them. "You don't have to be so-"

"Were you a part of this too?" Kendall demanded, turning to Patrick, Noah, and Sydney. Sydney seemed to shrink underneath Kendall's gaze, turning and burying his face in Patrick's side. "Are you a part of this gang too?"

"No," Patrick replied firmly. "We wouldn't let Syd anywhere near the stuff that was going on." His eyes narrowed. "I can't believe that you'd think we'd even put him in danger like that."

"Well, you put Katie and my mom in danger like that." Kendall replied swiftly. Sydney made a loud whimpering sound and Kendall shot his eyes towards him. His eyes softened for a second, but then they blazed with fury once more.

"Kendall, calm down," James moved to stand next to his blonde friend. "We're upset about what happened too, but it's not going to help anyone if you just sit there pointing fingers and flying off the handle." Kendall roughly pushed his arm away, he was breathing heavily through his nose.

"I think that we should hear the whole story from the beginning," Mrs. Knight said quietly as she, Ronan, Gustavo, and Kelly walked over from where they were in the receptionist area, signing papers. Her eyes were bloodshot and she looked pale. "I mean, you're going to have to tell the police anyway, but I'd like to hear it first."

Kendall's heart ached as he gazed at his mother. She looked heartbroken and it was that look that he wished that he had never had to see again. The first time he saw it was the months after his father had left her, and it was in those months that Kendall stepped up, trying to make sure that his mother and sister were taken care of. Now everything had flown out of his control, his sister was hurt, and his mother looked like she was on the verge of collapsing and there was nothing that he could do about it. The thing that hurt the worse was that it was his best friends that caused all of this pain.

_I don't think that I can stand to see their faces again. _Kendall thought as everyone turned their attention to Riley and Rhuben, waiting for the story. Patrick, Noah, and Sydney kept their eyes on their sisters, knowing that if they looked up, there wouldn't be a welcoming gaze anywhere.

"Uh," Riley let out a nervous chuckle, rubbing her right arm. "Where should I start?"

"How about from the beginning?" Carlos offered gently.

"Right, well, I guess it started after Ronan agreed to start helping us with our music," Riley started. "Robert was basically over the moon, because he knew that we would be bringing a lot of money his way. So, after Ronan suggested that we start our career by working on our vocals back home, before trying to break into the American market, Robert jumped for it. So we moved, again, but this time we moved back home. For, maybe, six or seven years while we had been working on our music, that was when Robert really started to step up his abuse on us. I guess it affected me and Rhuben in a bad way because we started to have a lot of behavioral problems."

"We stayed out late," Rhuben picked up the story, wiping her eyes. "We talked back; we basically did everything that we could to annoy him. But we stopped that quickly, because he took it out on St. Pat, No, and Syd. So we listened to his rules and did everything he told us, but took our anger out on the people around us. We got into a lot of fights in school, and ended up falling into the wrong crowd. That's how we met Austen, Braden, Candy, Malice, and the others. I started to date Austen and Riles started to date Braden-"

"Whoa!" Carlos blurted, his eyes growing wide. "You dated those freaks?" Everyone turned to look at him. "I'm sorry, but they are freaks! They fucking stalked us at every show that we were at, they made these really weird and vague comments that I wasn't sure if they were supposed to be threatening or not! They locked Dak and WayneWayne in a closet at one of our shows, just to try and scare them off-"

"You don't know the whole story," Riley interrupted, desperate for someone to listen to her. She turned to look at Ronan and winced when she saw how hard he was looking at her and Rhuben.

_Good, he's mad at them too. _Kendall thought to himself, waiting for them to continue. _Now they can see the consequences of the things that they've done to us. Ever since we met them, they've been nothing but trouble._

"Then keep going." James urged.

"They seemed to be the only ones besides our brothers that actually _cared_ about us during that point in our lives. At the time we weren't a gang, we just went around spray painting things and making fun of other kids that were in the area or just hanging out. But as we grew up, they started to get into a bit of trouble; shop lifting and getting into fights with other teenagers in the area. At the time, we didn't know that those teens were creating an actual gang called the Devil Dogs and that they were going to up the ante very quickly."

"One day we were hanging out like usual and our group was attacked," Riley took up the story again. "This was about two or three years ago or so, we got beat up pretty bad and when we got home, we saw how scared we were making our brothers, with all of the fights that we were getting into and everything. We never really liked it, but it was a good way to vent the anger that we felt towards Robert, our parents dying, and our abuse, and it was a good way to put our bruises off on getting into fights. Robert didn't really care, he was just glad we weren't getting killed, or his money would go down the tubes. When we saw how scared our brothers were, we broke up with Austen and Braden quit the gang right then and there. But what we didn't know was that the Devil Dogs had stepped up their game and had become an actual gang and they declared war with the Riverside Rebels, which was the group that we used to be a part of."

"Also," Rhuben took the story over again. "Around the time we were home, we were starting to become really famous because Ronan's magic was making our band really big. We officially signed to Blazing Phoenix Records (even though we were a part of it before), which he opened a branch of in Australia and we started putting out CDs like crazy. The more famous we got, the further we got away from the gang and we were happy for that point." She sucked in a deep breath and continued. "So when we got the news that we were going to be going over to LA, we were ecstatic for two reasons, because we were going to spread our music around, and because we were going to completely get away from it all. And things were fine," she gave a soft, fond smile. "We met you guys, our dad was gone, and things were finally starting to look up."

"Then we went home again, before we announced the tour," Riley sighed, her shoulders slumping. "And Austen and Braden came to us, saying that the war with the Devil Dogs and the Riverside Rebels had gotten so bad that they wanted to have us," she motioned between herself and Rhuben. "Killed. They knew that we used to be part of the Riverside Rebels and they had been following our progress of our band online. I don't know why they hate us so much, but they do and they want to get rid of us. We got a message saying that they would slowly get to us, to make it look like an accident, they would slowly start to hurt random people, and then our friends, before they got to us." She looked at Logan. "I bet you started to notice that wherever we went on tour, there was a news bulletin that someone was hurt or killed?"

Logan nodded slowly.

"Well, that was all of the workings of the Devil Dogs." Riley brushed her hair behind her ears. "Uh, we had struck up a deal that they would help protect our friends, you guys, and we would help them whenever they needed it. So for the past month or so we had been sneaking out and defending the Riverside Rebels."

"That's why you've constantly been in pain," Ronan stated, his green eyes widening. "I thought that you were having night terrors and were accidentally hurting yourselves." He tilted his head to the side. "I saw the bruises on your guys' stomachs one day during rehearsal, but I thought you would tell me about them."

Rhuben nodded. "So, I guess, the Devil Dogs were getting frustrated so they decided to try and stop it once and for all and…Katie got caught in the crossfire."

"Wait," James rubbed the back of his neck. "Then why were Patrick, Noah, and Sydney so jumpy?"

"Sydney always tried to get us to tell the truth about what was going on, so it would have stopped everything right at the beginning, but they didn't listen." Patrick explained, rubbing his back. "We kept him as far away from it as possible, even though he knew what was going on when Riley and Rhuben snuck out. He even tried telling people himself, even about our abuse, but no one believed him."

"Pat and I were never part of the gang," Noah added. "But every now and then, we would take messages from the Riverside Rebels and send them to whatever address we were given, to give the Devil Dogs the message to stop what they were doing." He looked over at Carlos. "That's what we were doing when you thought that we were drug dealers. That's also what we were doing with Katie that one day back in California. We were just delivering messages. But, as you can see, it never worked. They're out of control."

"Wait a minute," Logan rubbed his forehead. "Why did you guys start fighting when Austen was in our dressing room that one day?"

"We used it as distraction so he could pick-pocket your phone and take Jo, Camille, and Stephanie's phone numbers." Riley replied.

"And when Dak and WayneWayne were shoved into the supply closet?"

"To try and scare them off." Rhuben sighed.

"And when you disappeared when we were back in Minnesota?"

"Got into a fight with the Devil Dogs." Riley twisted her hair around her finger. "And most of the time that we left as the tour went on was because we were going out to try and fight them."

"So why didn't you tell anyone what was going on?" Kelly asked gently. "Why didn't you try and get us to help you? We would have helped." She looked as upset as the others; even Gustavo looked like he was disgusted. "We don't only work with you, we're your friends. We're your father's best friends; I thought that you guys thought that about us too."

"We do, Kelly," Noah whispered. "We didn't want any of this to happen to any of them or to Katie, the number one rule of being in a gang is that you can't tell anyone that you're in it," he turned to Mrs. Knight and looked at her with pleading eyes. "Really, Mama Knight. We didn't want any of this to happen."

Mrs. Knight nodded quietly. If anything, she looked paler than she was before; looking like she was on the verge of passing out from all of the emotional information that she had to think about.

"That's a bunch of bullcrap!" Gustavo said loudly, causing the Jackson to jump.

"Hey," Ronan turned to Gustavo, glaring. "Don't yell at my kids."

"Did you _not _just hear what they had to say?" Gustavo snapped back at him. "Did you _not _hear them say that they got _my _band, and your friends, and their friends in trouble? Do you _not _get that because of them, one of us got _shot_?"

"They made a _mistake_," Ronan snarled through gritted teeth. "Everyone does, so back off, alright." His eyes flashed as his hands clenched into fists. "I'm sure they had a good reason for not telling everyone what was going on, or asking for help."

"For the same reason that we never told anyone about our abuse," Riley replied, lifting her head and looking directly at Kendall. "Because you don't snitch on a gang. Because we could have gone to juvie, we could have been split up; we could have been killed for ratting on the Riverside Rebels. You guys could have been killed." She shrugged weakly. "A lot of reasons."

"A lot of selfish reasons," Kendall spat back. "Because you were too scared and only worrying about yourselves-"

"How were we worrying about ourselves when we were trying to protect you guys?" Rhuben shrieked, her voice getting higher and louder, like it always did when she was mad. "You're our _friends_, you're more important to us than _anything else_ in the world."

"And now you got my sister hurt!" Kendall continued, speaking louder so he was talking over Rhuben. "How's that for being important to you?"

"Excuse me," a tall man in scrubs walked over to them, interrupting their tense conversation. "I'm Dr. Morrison; I was taking care of Katie Knight." He gave a bright smile. "She's going to be ok; the bullet only grazed her arm. You can see her in a few minutes."

"Thank you so much," Mrs. Knight breathed a sigh of relief, some color moving back into her cheeks. "Kendall," she turned to her son, holding out her hand. "Come on; let's go see your sister."

Sydney got to his feet and walked over to Kendall, tilting his head back and looking up at him, his big blue eyes even wider than usual. "Kendall, please-"

"Don't talk to me," Kendall murmured and stepped around him, as if he didn't see him.

Kendall reached out and grabbed onto his mother's hand, glad that he had something that was going to hold him up. No matter how hard he worked for his mom, she was always there to be his rock, to keep him level-headed, and to help keep him safe. He started to walk with his mom to the examination room, but not before hearing Sydney say, "Ronan, I think we really messed up this time."

He didn't hear Ronan's response.

He followed his mother to an examination room and hesitantly stepped inside. Katie was sitting down on a bed, her jacket was gone, and a bandage was around her right bicep. She looked exhausted, but brightened, nonetheless, when she spotted her mother and her brother.

"Mom, Kendall." She greeted.

Mrs. Knight hurried over to her daughter and swept her up in her arms in only a way that a mother could. Kendall waited until his mother had finished hugging her before gently grabbing Katie in his arms, lifting her up off the floor and holding him against her, the same way he did when she was younger. He couldn't help it, the immense relief that he was feeling caused him to start to cry.

"I'm so glad you're ok, Katie." He whispered, giving her a kiss on the cheek, tears falling down his own cheeks, landing on her face and wetting her skin as well. "I love you."

"I love you too, Kendall," Katie replied patiently, giving him a hug back. "I'm fine." She used her good hand to brush his tears off of his cheeks. "I'm ok."

Kendall gently put her back down onto the examination table and moved back so Logan, Carlos, and James could move into the room to give her hugs as well. He watched with detached interest as they interacted with each other. He couldn't help but scowl. They didn't seem to realize what had just happened. They had all been betrayed by people they thought were their friends. _And now here they are, joking around Katie, trying to make her smile, like nothing happened! Like she just fell down and scraped her arm or something. _Kendall gritted his teeth together. _It makes me sick._

"So…where are the Jacksons?" Katie asked, looking around the room. "And Gustavo and Kelly and Ronan?" She looked at her brother earnestly. "Are they out in the waiting room?"

"Oh, they're-"Kendall swiftly interrupted Carlos.

"Gustavo, Kelly, and Ronan can come in here, but the Jacksons can't." Kendall said harshly. "You don't want them around you, this is their fault anyway." His hands clenched into fists so hard his nails dug into his skin. "They're the reason that you got hurt." His eyes flashed as he looked around the room. "I don't want them anywhere near her, or me, or you guys. They might just end up hurting us too."

"Kendall-"Carlos started to protest.

"No," Kendall reiterated firmly, his eyes flashing. "I don't ever want to see their faces again!" Carlos sighed and looked over at James and Logan, neither of them looked like they were going to say anything in the Jacksons' defense. So he just fell quiet. "I really don't." Kendall added to himself in a whisper. He sat down in the empty seat in the room and buried his hands in his face, waiting for the urge to sob to pass.

But he got his wish; only hours later, they were on two planes heading back to their homes.

One to Los Angeles, California.

And the other to Sydney, New South Wales, Australia…

* * *

><p><strong>AN: and there you have it, BTR are so mad, they decide to go back home, cancelling the end of the tour, leaving DE to deal with their problems back home in Australia. Now, this story isn't over, and of course BTR aren't going to leave them like that. But I have something planned for them to become friends again.**

**Did you think that I made Kendall OOC? I think in some points he is, but other's I'm not sure. I know that there was a lack of Patrick, Noah, and Sydney in this chapter (at least, somewhat) but EVERYONE will be important again by the end of the story. I think I may have forgotten to explain some events that happened in this story in this chapter, if I did, please let me know.**

**Thanks to **Jenna, MysticMelody101, shotinthedark, DarkElement-Jackson-Fan, youspinmelikearecord, LogieLuvr914, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, Rage-Against-Time, BigTimeFan-'10, Rayna, Got2LiveItBigTime, BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan, 2lazy2signin** for reviewing.**

**And thanks to **shotinthedark and LogieLuvr914 **for giving me some story idea. And to Lella-Kiley-Luvr, I was thinking of redoing 'Big Time Adventure' for a while, so I'll most likely use your idea as well. Thanks guys!**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	17. Count On You

**.:Chapter Seventeen – Count On You:.**

* * *

><p>The sun was climbing above the horizon, a bright disc against the light blue sky. James strode calmly through the cool sand, his surfboard tucked under his arm, the leash attached to his right ankle. The salty breeze, which had come and gone, picked up again, brushing his dark brown fringe against his face. He felt the familiar sensation of the sand sticking to his feet, comforting him a little bit. He tilted his head back and looked up at the sky.<p>

_I wonder if they're looking at the same thing I'm looking at. _James thought to himself wistfully. _I can't believe it's been two months already._

He listened to the small waves lapping against the shore as he continued to walk. The breeze picked up again and I could feel my horse's mane against my knuckles. He looked out across the ocean, watching the sun's reflection twist and turn with the waves. It always seemed more tranquil early in the morning, especially when no one else was at the beach. No one would know that James was someone that liked to have time by himself just to think. They probably thought that he would rather spend his time looking at his reflection, and while that was true, there were times where he said he was going surfing, only just to walk across the beach to think about what happened in the past few months, just to keep himself grounded.

And in the past few months he had been nothing short of…depressed. Ever since they got back to California and Katie had gotten better, things had gone back to normal, but something was missing. And he knew what that thing was, his friends. Sure, they all hung out with Jo, Camille, Stephanie, Dak, and WayneWayne when they weren't working on their music. But it wasn't the same if all of them weren't there. To be perfectly honest, he wasn't even angry at the Jacksons anymore. He had spent the first month being unbelievably angry, but when he thought about their story again, he realized that all of them were partly at fault for what happened, but he also knew that they just had his and his friends' well beings at heart and put that first, which was why they didn't tell anyone what was going on.

Part of him was guilty for not trying to calm Kendall down and to change his mind when he said that they should never see them again, but at the same time it was justified. He just wished that there was something that they could do to fix things.

James looked out across the beach and back over the waves. Closing his eyes briefly; he took in a deep breath. He moved up onto the dryer sand, and over to his towel to dry off. He shut his eyes; listening to the sounds of the beach. The waves lapped against the shore. The breeze rustled the treetops. Far away, a gull called out and the waves were unrelenting in their assault on the shore. He took time to think about what would happen when I returned to apartment 2J. He would just be going back to the same thing that he always did when they weren't working. Absolute silence, they didn't really talk to each other much anymore. It was like a heavy cloud had hovered over their head for days and there was nothing that they could do to fix it.

_"Is there any particular reason why you're smiling like that?" Patrick asked, raising an eyebrow as he walked by the bunk bed, dragging a comb through his hair. He then gave a sardonic smile. "I mean, I love you like a friend, dude. I don't swing that way."_

_Carlos burst out into hysterical laughter as James rolled his eyes. James sat up carefully, making sure that he didn't hit his head on the ceiling. "That's alright," He replied quickly. "You're not my type." He couldn't help but grin back as Patrick gave an easy going smile._

_And even when that was when the lies started, he still considered me his friend. _James thought to himself as he continued to dry off his arms. _And this is what I do to repay him. _Suddenly, something that Sydney had told him earlier popped into his head. At the time, he didn't listen to it, because it was one of the many times that he was embarrassed that someone younger than him, but immensely smarter than him was giving him advice.

"_You may think that if something goes wrong there's nothing you can do, but the opportunity just hasn't presented itself yet."_

James opened his eyes and quickly started to gather his things.

He knew what they had to do.

* * *

><p>"We can't just sit here and do nothing," James announced as he walked back into the apartment, tossing his surfboard aside. He ignored the disapproving look that Mrs. Knight shot his way as sand and water dripped across the apartment floor, following James as he walked over to Carlos and Katie, who were sitting on the large orange couch, watching TV. "We have to do something."<p>

"What are you talking about?" Carlos asked as he reached out and pressed the MUTE button on the TV.

James made a face as he suddenly realized when Carlos had the TV up so loud. Kendall and Logan were listening to music in their room, turned up almost all of the way. And the unmistakable sound of their song _Til' I Forget About You _was playing.

Katie noticed the expression on James' face. "They've been playing that _all day_." She shook her head. "But it's a step up from having listen to them play _Worldwide, I Know You Know_, and _Boyfriend_ for the past two months."

James shook his head and turned back to the subject at hand. "We need to help the Jacksons somehow," he said firmly.

"But they won't talk to us." Carlos reminded him.

"That's true," he paused for a second and then licked his lips. "But have _you_ tried to talk to them?" Carlos slowly shook his head, exchanged glances with Katie. "I'll be honest when I say that I haven't because I've been so mad about what happened."

"That's understandable, James," Mrs. Knight commented as she turned from the newspaper that she was reading. She set it down and rested her hands on top of the newsprint. "You didn't really know how to react when it came to the truth about everything." She looked over at Katie and got that motherly look in her eyes that she always got after they had left the hospital two months before. It was obvious that the attack had really shaken her up, even though things were better now.

"Mrs. Knight," James turned to the older woman, hoping to make a point. "If the Jacksons apologized, again, for what they did, would you forgive them?"

Mrs. Knight looked taken aback by the question for a few seconds and then looked thoughtful. She was quiet for a few more minutes and then turned back to her daughter and his friends. "I would," she replied honestly. "They've been through so much as it is, and with the fact that they may have to go to court to talk about everything that happened, they're going to have to re-live through a lot of things. They could really use your support right now."

"And that's my point exactly," James stated with a nod as he turned back to Carlos and Katie. "They were there for us when we started out music career; they're they for us when we need help on our homework, when we're having trouble dealing with Gustavo, when we need a plan to fix something, when we need to finish some chores, even when we're bored. They were there for us when they were being abused and they were _still_ there for us when they were trying to keep us out of trouble." He shook his head. "Remember what we promised when we first came out here? We wouldn't let Hollywood or the fame change us. Before we came out here we would do anything to help anyone, and now they make a mistake and we ditch them."

"Yeah," Carlos nodded slowly as he got to his feet. "You're right." He shook his head. "They've helped us so many times, and now we can help them." He slapped James on the shoulder. "Do you remember the first couple of days after Robert was arrested? That promise that we made with them?"

"I do," Katie spoke up. "We promised that we'd always be there for each other, no matter what."

"And we broke that promise," Carlos said with a nod. "And Kendall always told me, 'If you break a promise, you break a heart'." He shook his head. "I don't want to be the ones that could have quite possibly have broken their hearts."

"Although," Katie chuckled and gave a fond smile. "I don't think they'd ever admit it if you did."

"She's got a point there." James agreed.

"I'm in!" Carlos grabbed James' hand in his and they did a man-hug. "Let's get our friends back!" His smile melted to a look of concern. "Come on; let's talk to Kendall and Logan, maybe they'll listen to us." He paused. "You know if they can hear us over the music that they're playing."

James cracked his knuckles. _This is definitely not going to be easy. _He led Carlos over to their bedroom and went inside, immediately slapping his hands over his ears at the loud music that reached them. Barely even glancing at his friends, he went over to the large boom box and slapped the pause button.

"What'd you do that for?" Kendall asked irritably as he put down his hockey magazine. James shot him a look but didn't reply as he looked around the room. He knew that they were still upset, but the fact that it seemed like they were now actually _living_ in their bedroom was beyond unsettling.

"Dude, this is _pathetic_," Carlos stated as he shook his head, looking around the room himself. "You _can't _just sit in here for _days_ listening to depressing music."

"Carlos," Logan looked at him as he spoke slowly. "You just called our song depressing."

"It _is_ depressing if you're going to sit there and wallow in your own self pity." James stated and placed his hands on his hips. "Ok," he ran a hand over his mouth. "Carlos and I were talking and we think that it's a good time to try and talk to the Jacksons and-"

"Screw that!" Logan interrupted swiftly. "It's _not _happening." He moved his legs to the floor and stood up, crossing his arms over his chest. "I know that you guys are upset about things that happened and want to try and make it better. But I don't. I'm sick and tired of their lies and I don't want to have to deal with it anymore."

James' eyebrows lowered as he looked over at Carlos. Logan was typically the passive one out of all of them, and typically tried not to be rude in any way, shape, or form. He couldn't blame him though, his girlfriend had constantly lied to him about what had been going on over the tour, and could have quite possibly put them all in danger, and at this point no one was sure if they had broken up. He supposed that's why Logan was so upset; he didn't want to think about his friends without thinking about his deteriorated relationship. His first serious one at that. James then took a good look around the room, noticing that the posters of the DarkElements that had been ripped from the walls and were lying over the floor.

James motioned to them. "At least I had the decency to at least gently take mine down." He didn't get an answer and then looked to Carlos for help.

"Ok, you guys are acting ridiculous." Carlos said. He realized that it was the wrong thing to say as soon as Kendall's head whipped up and he looked over at Carlos, his green eyes blazing with fury.

"Ridiculous?" he repeated. "_I'm _acting ridiculous?" He got up off of his bed and got into Carlos' face. "My friends lied to me, put me and my sister and my mom in danger, and got my sister fucking shot and you think I'm acting ridiculous?"

"Get out of my face, Kendall." Carlos said sharply, pushing Kendall back a few steps.

"Get out of my room!" Kendall shot back.

"Get out of my face."

"Get out of my room."

"Guys," James wedged his way in between Kendal land Carlos, turning to face Kendall. "Don't fight. We don't want anyone to fight, we just wanted to talk and to try and get you to listen. We know that you are mad, and so are we, but we promised that we were going to be there for them for whatever problem they were having and we're not. We're breaking out promise and that's something that we would _never_ do before we came to Hollywood." He shook his head. "We're not being friends at all."

"Oh yeah," Kendall snorted. "And what's the definition of a friend?"

Instinctively, Kendall, James, and Carlos looked over at Logan, who sighed and rolled his eyes before reciting; "Friendship is a form of interpersonal relationship generally considered to be closer than association, although there is a range of degrees of intimacy in both friendships and associations." He scratched his forehead. "And the values of friendship are: The tendency to desire what is best for the other, sympathy, empathy, honesty, mutual understanding and compassion, the ability to go to each other for emotional support, enjoyment of each other's company, trust in one another, positive reciprocity and to be able to yourself without being judged."

"Do you just sit on your bed and read Wikipedia all day?" Kendall asked after a moment. Logan shot him an annoyed look and didn't reply. Kendall turned back to Carlos and James. "Anyway, everything that he just said is a friendship they haven't given us. They haven't been honest, and they haven't-"

"You can't possibly tell me that when they were spilling their guts about everything that had happened that they weren't valuing our friendship and our safety the whole time we were on our tour." James interrupted, giving Kendall a look of disgust. "If you can't see that, then you're a complete moron."

Kendall stared hard at him. "Get out." He repeated, pointing towards the door.

"Fine," James raised his hands and left the room with Carlos in tow. He turned to Mrs. Knight. "Sometimes, Mama Knight, I wonder how you were able to raise such a stubborn kid." He motioned over to Katie. "Except for her money obsession, you did something right with her."

Mrs. Knight had a look on her face that showed that she was trying not to smile. She then got a pained expression on her face and got up from her seat at the table before walking over to Kendall's and Logan's shared room. "Kendall-"Mrs. Knight jerked her head back and winced as the door slammed shut in her face and the music was turned up once more. She turned to James, Katie, and Carlos, who looked back at her, eyes wide with surprise. They had never seen Kendall act that way before, and definitely not towards his own mother.

Katie got down from her chair. "Let me try talking to them," she said before opening the door and slipping into the room.

"James," Mrs. Knight let out a heavy sigh, closing her eyes tightly as she brushed her auburn hair off of her forehead. She gestured vaguely towards the front door of the apartment where a knock had sounded. "Would you mind getting that?"

"No problem, Mama Knight," James replied and got up off of the couch, strolling over to the door. He flipped his hair out of his face and pulled the door open, only for his mouth to drop open in shock and then close with a confused frown. "Ronan? What are _you_ doing here?"

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Sorry it was kind of short. This chapter took me a LONG while to figure out how I was going to make this chapter go, just because I didn't want them to automatically want to be friends with the Jacksons again. That is also why I decided to make it a few months later without them talking to them at all. Plus, I thought it would be more of an impact if James, the guy that is usually so self-centered, was the one to realize that they had basically abandoned their friends in their time of need and of course, Carlos is the sensitive one, so I made him the first one to agree with him. As for that broken promise broken heart quote, I got that from Kendall Schmidt, because he's said that once during an interview. **

**What did you guys think of the end? Did you expect it to be Ronan at the door? Also, I'm going to try to update this every day and until it's done.**

**Thanks to **2lazy2signin, MysticMelody101, LogieLuvr914, shotinthedark, Rage-Against-Time, BigTimeFan-'10, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan, Kris Jo, musicfreak1107, Got2LiveItBigTime, Jenna, youspinmelikearecord, and Rayna **for reviewing.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**

**PS – Thanks to everyone for the story ideas. Anyway, I was wondering, because I have problems deciding what pairings to do for Riley as I like Kiley, Jiley, and Wiley, would you like it better where I:**

**- Rotate the pairings in my stories or **

**-If it's a Kiley/Jiley pairing they will only be in stories with BTR and the girls and then the Wiley would only be in stories where Dak and WayneWayne are the main characters so you can see their personalities more? (Plus if they're stories that could have Kiley or Jiley they would have Lella or Jella as well).**

**Of course if it's a story where BTR, the girls, and Dak and WayneWayne are there, I'd figure something out, but I would like your input for future stories please.**


	18. Right Here Waiting

**.:Chapter Eighteen –Right Here Waiting:.**

* * *

><p>Carlos exchanged confused glances with Katie, who suddenly appeared at his side, and the two leaned over to get a good look at Ronan standing in the doorway of the apartment. <em>What's he doing here? Shouldn't he be in Australia doing some work on music or something?<em>

"I brought Gustavo and Kelly here so I could talk to them too," Ronan stepped aside, allowing Gustavo to (roughly) push him out of the way and he and Kelly strode into the apartment. Ronan shot him an angry look behind his back before turning his attention to Kacy, looking at her over James's shoulder. "I don't mind, but I really need to talk to you guys."

Carlos and Katie now inched closer to the front door, watching as Gustavo and Kelly entered the apartment. "Hey, what's going on?" He asked, grabbing their attention. "What's Gustavo and Kelly doing here?"

"Its fine," Kacy said as she cleared off the kitchen table. She motioned for James to get away from the door. "Come in." James moved out of the way and Ronan pulled his sunglasses off of the top of his head and hooked them in the collar of his shirt as he closed the door behind him. "It's good to see you." She walked over to him and gave him a hug before stepping back and peering at his face. "You sure are…tanned."

"Yeah, that's what happens when you spend two months in Australia," Ronan replied as he stretched his arms. "That and growing up in LA and being outside a lot, I was never really a pale kid." He turned and pointed a finger at Gustavo. "If you have any jokes, you might as well get them out now."

"Well, what's the fun in that?" Gustavo asked as he crossed his arms over his chest. "If you're just going to tell me to do it, I need time to think of them first."

"Well that explains what you do in your spare time," Kelly commented as she rolled her eyes. She turned to Kacy. "Where are Kendall and Logan?"

"You don't hear that music?" Carlos asked dryly before he wind milled his arm and pointed over towards the closed bedroom. "I like our music more than the next guy; this is all that I can take." His eyes widened as Gustavo turned and walked over to the room and pushed open the door, disappearing inside. All of a sudden the music stopped and you could hear Kendall's, Logan's, and Gustavo's loud voices all mixing together. Gustavo then left the bedroom with Kendall and Logan slung over his shoulders. He walked them over to the couch and then pushed him off his shoulders onto the cushions. "Cool!" Carlos cried, raising his hands into the air. "Me next! Me next!"

"Carlos!" Kendall, Logan, James, Katie, and Mrs. Knight snapped in unison.

"This isn't a free right, dog!" Gustavo added. "If you want one, go bug Freight Train, we have some business to take care of." He motioned to Ronan. "Go ahead, dude."

_Since when are they so friendly? _Carlos crossed his arms over his chest as Ronan crossed his arms over his chest and let out a heavy sigh, suddenly looking nervous. _I don't think I've ever seen Ronan this nervous before, I wonder what this is about._

"I wanted to talk to you guys about what the Jacksons have been going through these past couple of months." Ronan stated out. He turned as Kendall moved to get up off of the couch and he held out a hand. "I know that Gustavo allows you to get away with whatever you want, but when it comes to me trying to talk to you, I'm not going to have you disrespect me by leaving when I'm not done. So please, sit back down."

Carlos watched Kendall, not sure what he was going to do. He could see the familiar defiant look on Kendall's eyes that he usually got when he was told what to do. _Now that I think about it, Kendall was never good with doing what he was told, at least not since his dad left him. _It was true, he never really listened to teachers that tried to discipline him, he didn't really listen to their hockey coach, and he definitely didn't listen to Gustavo. Carlos looked over at Kendall, who now looked like he was trying to hatch an egg as he slowly sat back down. _Wow, he must respect Ronan more than we thought._

"Anyway," Ronan shot Kendall another looked before speaking to everyone in the apartment. "When we had gotten back home, I immediately sent my kids to the doctor once more to make sure that they were ok. They checked out, fine, but it took Riley's and Rhuben's bruised ribs a little over a month to heal. At that time, the bruises that Patrick and Noah had gotten from getting into a fight with the Devil Dogs when they were back in Minnesota had been long since healed. After that I hired them a psychiatrist that would help them while they were back home and they're slowly making progress with that."

"That's good to hear," Carlos said with a fond smile and a nod. "I'm glad they're getting better."

Ronan shot him a surprised look before speaking again. "But I bet you're all also wondering what that means for you. Well, because they have been going through such, well, grueling measures with the psychiatrist to make sure that they kept on track with their recovery as well as being able to talk about things that they had kept hidden from when their parents died to now, he thought that it would be a good idea to only focus on those moments." He paused and looked around, grimacing a little bit. "Do you understand what I mean, when I say that?"

"No, not really." James replied, shaking his head. "And I'm pretty slow, so you might want to make it a bit clearer."

"James, you're not that slow." Kelly said slowly, trying to compliment him.

"No, trust me, he's that slow." Carlos said, waving a hand at Kelly. "People say I'm stupid, but James is worse."

"No, he's not." Logan spoke up.

Carlos rolled his eyes as Ronan chuckled a little bit. "Anyway," Ronan cleared his throat. "What I'm basically trying to get at is the psychiatrist wanted them to focus, so they weren't allowed to talk to you guys. No e-mail, no MyFace, no ScutButts, no texting, no phone calls. He didn't want you cut out of their lives, but he wanted them to improve a bit with some of the things that they had to deal with that they never dealt with before."

Katie let in a soft gasp and turned to look at Carlos. Carlos looked back at her with wide eyes before looking over at the guys. James looked happy, if not confused. _I'm glad that we decided to do something about this. _He thought as he continued to look at James. _Now we can be sure that they still want to be our friends, rather than crashing and burning. _He looked over at Kendall and Logan, who were either looking at their hands, and or was looking at the wall across of them. _I bet they're too embarrassed to say anything, especially now that they know that they were wrong._

"What about Austen and them?" Mrs. Knight asked, crossing her arms over her chest, looking worried. "Last we saw, he was at the hospital, being taken into custody? What happened to him, his friends, and the Devil Dogs?"

"Yeah," Carlos agreed. "The last time that I saw them, Austen was trying to make sure that we didn't get shot." He placed his hands on Katie's shoulders. "It didn't work completely, but at least he tried."

"Well, if you ask me, the little freak should have gotten more than what he received." Gustavo grunted, rolling his eyes. He then turned to Ronan. "You should have made sure that he got a harsher sentence."

"I'm a music producer, not a miracle worker." Ronan replied calmly.

"Then maybe you need to get a new profession." Gustavo replied and then slowly smiled. "One that you're actually good at."

Ronan slowly closed one eye as he looked Gustavo up and down. Carlos smiled a little bit and held a hand up over his mouth to try not to laugh out loud. One of his constant sources of amusement was watching the two f them take cheap shots at each other. Even though they were still good friends, they couldn't resist to knock each other down for size every now and then.

"I'm going to let that one go." Ronan said through gritted teeth. He wiped sweat off of his forehead. "At this moment Austen, Candy, Braden, Malice, and all of the other members of the Riverside Rebels are, depending on their age, being sentenced to juvenile custody. Those who are of age are facing criminal charges. As for the Devil Dogs, some are going to jail as they were the ones that were directly responsible for the many deaths that have been going on recently. But those that weren't involved and had no idea of what was going on, are-"

"They're getting away, scott-free?" Logan cried, his eyes growing wide. "Can they do that?"

"Yes, unfortunately, they can." Kelly replied with a short sigh as she rubbed her neck. "We've been helping Ronan over the past few months, researching as much as we could about the consequences that they were all going to face."

"What about Riley and Rhuben?" Carlos asked quietly. "Are they going to be in trouble too?" _I can't imagine them going to jail. No matter how many times I joked about it, I don't think they would actually purposefully hurt someone._

"Well," Ronan hesitated. "We don't know that yet. There's a lot of back and forth about whether or not they're justified about getting a light sentence because they had bad behavioral problems due to their parents dying and their abuse, but on the flip side, they're 17 years old and also knew what they were doing." He shrugged. "There are a lot of different factors there."

"So there's a chance that they could go to jail?" Kendall asked, finally speaking up.

"If anything they would probably have a _lot _of community service to do." Ronan said, nodding slowly. Mrs. Knight muttered a word under her breath and ran her hands over her face, shaking her head warily. He turned to Big Time Rush and Katie. "The last thing that they want is for you guys to not want to be friends, and I'm sure they're right when they say that you might not want to be anymore."

"So I was right," James turned to Carlos with a wide smile. "We were just saying that we wanted to do something to show them that we weren't mad at them anymore. Carlos and I just agreed on it." He quickly looked at Kendall and Logan. "We weren't sure what to do though, but now that you're here, maybe you can help."

"We'll all help," Gustavo agreed and then looked defensive as all eyes turned to him. They shifted back and forth. "What? They're my….friends…too…I guess. I mean, they didn't' deserve to get hit, and somehow, they actually seemed to be helping you guys with your music. So the faster you all become friends again, the faster your music can improve."

"I'm in!" Carlos said with a satisfied smile and a large grin on his face. "I miss them like crazy, and we haven't gotten into trouble ever since they left." He turned to James and they exchanged smiles and nods. "I know that James is with me and Katie too." He then turned to Kendall and Logan. "What about you guys, are you going to help too?"

Carlos tightened his grip on Katie's shoulders as he waited. He was sure that Logan was going to help them; there was no way that he wouldn't. He had known the Jacksons much longer that the others had, so he knew that he was deeply hurt about everything, but he knew that he was going to turn around. Kendall he wasn't so sure about. He was the kind of person that as soon as someone hurt him or his family, he wasn't ever going to forget what they did. He might forgive, but he wouldn't forget, and if they did it again, they were going to be completely cut out of his life.

_Come on guys, I know that you want to help them. There's no way that you would just sit back and let them move out of your lives like that. Even you know that things have been boring around here since they're not around. _He then noticed Kendall and Logan looking at him funny. "Did I just think out loud again?"

"Yes," Katie replied with a teasing smile.

"But you're right," Kendall agreed, getting to his feet. He ran a hand over his face and through his hair. "If we're going to get our friends back…or keep them, we're going to have to do something bigger than just apologize to them."

"I agree," Logan nodded. "If we do something better than apologize, I can guarantee a 97% success rate."

"I think it would be better if it were a surprise," James said, rubbing his chin. "I mean, I know that Beautiful hates surprises, but she can deal with it for this one."

"But how are we going to get there without them knowing that we're coming as well as make sure that they forgive us too?" Katie asked as she twirled her ponytail around her finger.

Everyone else looked stumped as Ronan slowly smiled. "Have you guys ever heard of the Free Hugs campaign?"

* * *

><p><strong>A**N: **Sorry this was a short chapter and that it was dialogue driven, but I just wanted an explanation to everything from the Jacksons' side since you didn't see them in this chapter or the last one**. **Next chapter is all from the Jackson' POV, to make up for not seeing them in these past two chapters, and I think that you guys will really like it. Then of course is the epilogue. **

**I don't know if they would go to a psychiatrist or a psychologist, so if someone could tell me if I got that point right or wrong, that would be great. As for the song that's this title, it can either be for Richard Marx or for Staind either one will do. **

**Thanks to **Got2LiveItBigTime, DarkElement-Jackson-Fan, youspinmelikearecord, MysticMelody101, shotinthedark, Rage-Against-Time, LogieLuvr914, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan, Kris Jo, and Jenna** for reviewing. I'll update again tomorrow. And if you haven't checked out Carlos' video for 'Call Me Maybe' do it!**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	19. All The Same

**.:Chapter Nineteen – All The Same:.**

**This chapter and the epilogue are in third person limited. Meaning you don't really get into anyone's heads.**

* * *

><p>"Ugh," Sydney grumbled as he tugged on a strand of his hair, pulling it into his face. He studied the strand for a few minutes and then dropped it as he stared at his reflection in the mirror that hung on the wall of the living room of his home. For once, he wasn't smiling, his eyes weren't shining, and you couldn't see the dimples in his cheeks. Nope, for once in his life, Sydney was showing that he was really annoyed. "When can I dye my hair back to its normal color?" He turned back to his brothers and sisters, who were sitting on the floor of the living room, tying their shoes. "I get that they wanted me to change my appearance just in case, but this is ridiculous."<p>

"Syd, you can change your hair back after it grows out a bit more," Patrick said as he crossed his legs, resting his elbows on his knees. Instinctively, he reached up and started to tug on his own hair, which instead of the spikes he usually had it up in, was hanging down in his face. "You don't want to dye it after it's been dyed, or you'll strip your hair and cause it to thin out faster."

"Ten bucks as to how he knows that," Sydney said as he crossed his arms over his chest, pouting.

Rhuben chuckled as she pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "If it's any consolation, Syd, I think you look cute as a blonde." She then noticed the expression on his face. "Then again, I don't know when you're _not_ cute."

"Thanks." Sydney grumbled as he walked over and sat down on the floor with them. He let out a heavy sigh and looked at his watch. "So when is Ronan supposed to get back? It really sucks that he had to go to a business meeting that was scheduled last minute. I mean, if he knew that it was going to be _right_ before the Free-Hugs Campaign we help with every year, I don't think he would have gone."

"Yeah, well, you know Ronan, when it comes to work he can hardly say no." Riley said and reached out, running her hand through Sydney's hair. Sydney hit her hand away and Riley raised an eyebrow at him.

"You can only do that when my hair is back to normal," Sydney said, digging his finger into the carpet. "Seeing as it's partially your fault I had to dye my hair anyway." He then let out a loud, overly-dramatic sigh, and turned to her with a wide smile. "But because you're my sister I guess I _have_ to forgive you."

"That's what I thought." Riley remarked and gave him a smile before leaning over and planting a noisy kiss on his cheek. She laughed as Sydney jokingly pushed her away and wiped a hand over his cheek. She looked at her watch. "But he better get here soon or we're going to be late."

"Do we have all of the posters?" Rhuben asked, drawing her knees up to her chest and lightly tugging on the knot that she made in her shoe lace. "I wasn't sure if we made enough last night."

"I got up early and finished the last one," Noah said. He lifted his head, tilting it to the side, and turned, nudging Patrick, who was sitting closest to the door. "Someone's at the door go get it."

Patrick rolled his eyes, his lip curling at the corner a little bit and got to his feet. He hurried over to the door and opened it, flinching when he saw Ronan on the other side; his hand was up, obviously reaching out to unlock the front door to his house to get inside. Patrick let out a short scream and closed the door in Ronan's face, raising a hand to his chest and holding it against his heart, which was thudding against his ribcage.

"What's wrong, bro?" Riley asked as the others got up and walked towards him to see what was going on. Patrick turned and started to explain, but as he was breathing heavily, it just caused his words to come out slurred. "Wait a minute? That was Ronan at the door?" Patrick nodded. "Did he scare you or something?" He nodded again.

"So you…slammed the door…in his face?" Noah and Rhuben asked in unison.

"I panicked." Patrick replied, finally calming down.

"It's no wonder people say you're the dumb one." Sydney commented.

They all turned as Ronan slowly opened the door, looking exhausted and rubbing his nose with one hand. He fixed his green eyes on Patrick, who smiled sheepishly. "You're a dead man." He growled.

* * *

><p>"Free Hugs!" Sydney called as he walked along the boardwalk, holding the large sign in his hand. "Excuse me," he turned to an older couple. "Would you like a free hug?" He asked with a charming smile.<p>

"Of course," The woman replied and bent down to give him a hug before her husband did the same. "I hope you have a good one," she said as she and her husband walked away. Sydney waved after them.

"Back atcha!" He called back.

"Syd, do you really think that someone is going to say 'no' to giving you a hug?" Noah asked as he walked by his brother, holding his sign tightly in his hands as a gust of wind threatened to pull it away. "At the risk of making you cry?"

"No," Sydney replied with a short shrug. "But you have to be polite." He looked up. "And I hope you're polite to that person."

"Wha-?" Noah turned just in time for a young girl, who obviously wanted a hug, to run up to him and jump onto him. But the force of her momentum as well as the fact that he didn't get a chance to brace himself, causing him to get knocked onto his back on the ground. Noah sighed and gave the girl a hug back and turned to Sydney, who looked down at him with an 'I told you so' look on his face. "Shut it." He said to Sydney before turning to the girl. "Thanks for the hug."

"No problem," she replied with a smile. "Sorry I knocked you down." She got to her feet and then hurried over to Riley and Rhuben, who were currently in the middle of a group hug with a bunch of teenage guy and girls their age.

"You ok, bro?" Patrick grabbed onto Noah's hand and hauled him to his feet.

"I'll be fine." Noah replied, rubbing the back of his head. "My head didn't crack open and I'm used to getting bruises."

Patrick smiled and patted him on the back before continuing to walk around and ask for more hugs. He spotted a girl that looked somewhat down and walked over to her. "Do you want a hug?" Patrick asked with a bright smile. He held a sign in his hand that read **Free Hugs**. The girl looked around; warily, watching as his siblings walked around, giving other people hugs as well.

"Sure!" The girl then gave a bright smile and walked up to him. She reached up, wrapped her arms around his neck, pulled him down to her level, and hugged him with all the love she had in her heart.

"WOW!" Patrick exclaimed with a smile, flipping his hair out of his face. "That was the best hug I've had all day!"

"I'm a hugger," The girl smiled at him. "Thanks!"

"No problem," Patrick waved back before turning to his siblings, a bright smile on his face as he walked back over to them. "So how many hugs is that so far?"

"Are you just going to ignore the fact that you, somehow, always manage to get girls that seem to be interested in you, to hug you?" Riley asked as she raised an eyebrow at her brother. "Not that I'm complaining, I'd rather you be happy in some shallow way than not happy at all, but still." She put an arm around Patrick's waist in a hug. "You gotta put a lid on the attractiveness thing."

"Yeah, you're going to have to blame mom and dad on that one." Rhuben reminded her.

"Good point." Riley agreed with a teasing smile.

"Can we take a break now?" Noah asked as he walked over. "I've been knocked down and I'm pretty sure a Chihuahua just tried to bite off my fingers." He inspected his fingers as he said so.

Rhuben laughed and put an arm around Noah's shoulders and turned him and started to walk him towards the fountain. "C'mon No, let's sit you down before you fall into a coma spontaneously or something." She said, causing the others to laugh.

They all walked over to the fountain and sat down. They had only been resting for a few minutes before Ronan walked up to them."You guys are done already?" Ronan asked as he took Sydney's video camera and turned it onto his kids as they sat on the side of the water fountain, resting their feet. He smiled as Patrick and Noah leaned together to get into the frame and made funny faces before waving to the camera.

"We're just taking a break, Ronan." Sydney replied, kicking his feet back and forth. "To rest our feet, besides," he motioned around. "There're not many people around anymore, and we've gotten probably almost 100 hugs so far, so I think that's good."

"I bet you I can get you five more in, like, a second." Ronan replied. "Ten bucks I don't." He added after seeing the skeptical look on Rhuben's face.

"Betcha." Rhuben declared after a second.

Ronan pointed over his shoulder and backed up a few steps, making sure he moved out of his kids' way as they followed where he was pointing. He could tell that they had seen what he was pointing to when the expressions on their faces changed from curiosity to shock to confusion all in the span of three seconds. They all turned back to Ronan at the same time and he smiled and nodded, still holding onto the camera.

Across the boardwalk Kendall, Logan, Carlos, James, and Katie were standing off to the side, out of the way of the crowd that was moving by, and they were all holding onto Free Hugs signs.

Sydney was the first one to move, immediately leaping off of the side of the fountain and started sprinting across the boardwalk. Patrick and Noah were close behind him, Riley and Rhuben moved slowly after them, but then soon all five of them were running across the boardwalk, weaving in and out of the people on the boardwalk, trying not to crash into them. Seeing them running towards them; Kendall, Logan, Carlos, James, and Katie tossed down their sides and started running towards them as well.

They all collided (quite literally) in one group hug.

* * *

><p>"Syd, I don't think I'm ever going to get over the fact that you're a blonde," James commented as he peered at the small boy's head of hair.<p>

Sydney gave a fleeting smile from where he sat at the table in the middle of the kitchen. "Yeah, well, the faster my hair grows, the faster this can come out." He shrugged. "I think it looks interesting, but I was never really one that actually _liked_ the idea of completely changing my hair color other than dying the tips blue."

Noah smiled, rolling his eyes as he leaned back in his seat, waiting for Patrick to finish passing out tall glasses of lemonade. He looked over at Patrick, who looked back at him and he cocked an eyebrow before slowly smiling.

So their little competition hadn't ended…

"So how's your arm?" Patrick asked as he slid Katie a tall glass of lemonade before grabbing himself a glass. He sat himself next to Noah and Sydney at the table, across from James and Carlos. "I hope there's no nerve damage."

Katie shook her head before taking a sip of lemonade, making a face as the sourness hit the lower sides of her jaw. "Man, this is strong." She stated as she put her glass down.

"I know," One of Carlos' eyes were closed. "It leaves you in a permanent pucker."

"I probably should have mentioned that we don't use much sugar in our lemonade." Patrick said with a sheepish smile. "But that's only because Ronan doesn't like much sugar." He quickly took a sip of his, making a face as well. "But the pucker is the best part!"

"Katie?" Noah directed the conversation back to her. "Your arm?"

"Oh yeah," Katie reached out and touched the scar that was on the side of her arm, remembering the day that it happened. "It's perfectly fine." She stretched it out and bent it a little bit. "The doctor said that the bullet just grazed my arm, because I was knocked down at the right time." She lifted her head and grinned at the boys around her. "It's cool because I got a cast _and_ a sling, and people were so sorry for me not being able to do so much that I made more money out of sympathy than I ever had when it came to just tricking them out of it!"

"Good to see that you're putting a wound to such good use," Sydney commented with a frown. He got down from his chair and rounded the table, smiling at James as Carlos as he went, before arriving at Katie's side. He bent over and looked at the scar on her arm before poking it. "Does it hurt?"

"It did before, but now it's fine." Katie said. "I healed pretty fast actually."

"We're still sorry about what happened." Patrick said as he pushed his glass back and forth between his hands, looking at James, Carlos, and Katie. "For everything. For keeping secrets, for making you guys worry," he nodded over to Katie. "For waiting so long to say something that you got shot-"

"Oh come on," Katie rolled her eyes as she waved a hand. "No one was going to kill _me_." She placed a hand on her chest and smiled sweetly. "I'm just a little girl."

"Oh please," James snorted, flipping his hair out of his face. "You're such a little girl? Yeah right! You can probably beat up me and the guys very easily," he paused and gave a warning glare as he pointed at Carlos, Patrick, Noah, and Sydney. "Any of you repeat that and you _die_." He waited until they nodded before continuing. "You probably have the means of hacking into _any_ government files due to watching so much Fox on TV, and you can make thousands of dollars just like _that_," he snapped for emphasis. "I don't think you're 'just a little girl'."

"But no one is going to purposefully kill me." Katie continued, widening her eyes and giving a peaceful smile.

"Well, excuse me, but when somebody sprays a sawed off shotgun across the room, the bullets don't go out of their way to avoid law-abiding citizens and little girls." Noah pointed out dryly. He then gave a small smile. "But we're glad you're ok." He shifted his gaze between his three friends. "I am surprised that you guys decided to forgive us though."

"Well, it took a lot of my persuasion to get everyone else to listen," James said with a charming smile.

"Persuasion, huh?" Sydney snorted as he crossed his arms over his face. "I'm sure that you guys got into a lot of fights before you actually listened to each other."

"Yeah," James deflated a bit, his ego bruised in only the way that Sydney could do, but still make it endearing. "We fought for a while, but that's because we seriously didn't know what to do."

"It's cool," Sydney raised and lowered one shoulder. "I mean, it's like what I saw in your guys' faces back in Minnesota. You stuck between invading Ri-Ri's privacy to help or to just pretend like nothing was happening and wait for us to come to you. Basically we were having the same problem but on a grander scale; risk your safety or try and deal with it ourselves." He shrugged once more. "Of course we usually try to handle it ourselves-"

"And usually it doesn't work." Carlos pointed out.

"Well, it's a mistake for a reason." Sydney added. "Eventually people will realize that mistakes are for learning, not repeating."

"But you basically made the same mistake that you did before," Katie said, her eyes narrowing in confusion. "When you didn't tell anyone about your abuse and was trying to hide and handle it yourselves."

"But who said that was a mistake?" Noah asked.

"So what are you guys going to do about the paparazzi and the newspapers and the magazines and everything?" James asked, changing to a more serious subject. "I mean, there's only so long that you can keep all of this a secret."

"You'll see." Sydney replied with a sly smile.

"Uh-oh, what's that look on your face for?" Katie asked as she turned to the younger boy. "You all get these odd smiles on your faces when you're up to something. So what is it?"

"Nothing." Sydney's face was wiped clean at that moment.

"Yeah," Katie rolled her eyes. "Like I believe that."

"Whatever," Carlos finished his glass of lemonade and waited for his pucker to disappear before grinning around at his friends. "I'm just glad that we're friends again. Now," he slapped his hands onto the table top. "Who wants to go down to the beach and play some volleyball?"

"Me!" Patrick, Noah, and Sydney shot their hands into the air.

"Wait a minute, what about Kendall, Logan, Riley, and Rhuben?" Katie asked. "Should we wait for them?"

"I think that we should give them some time to talk." James said and then smiled. "When we're sure that they're together or whatever, _then _we can bug them to play with us."

* * *

><p>Logan and Rhuben were walking silently along the beach. But it wasn't that it was a peaceful silence, no, it was a tense one. Rhuben had her arms crossed over her chest, her eyes narrowed, and Logan was walking along beside her, wondering when she was going to blow up.<p>

Things were fine when they had just started walking together after the campaign had ended and making small conversation, but then Logan had to open his mouth and say:

"I'm not mad."

Rhuben turned and looked at her, an apathetic expression on her face as she blinked rapidly. "What?" she asked, her icy tone so cold that he flinched.

"I'm not mad at you." He repeated slowly. "For everything that happened." He took a step closer to her. "I'm not mad." He paused. "I mean, I was _really_ pissed at first, because I've known your guys for so long. But now I'm not."

Rhuben narrowed her eyes at him and then turned on her heel and continued walking again. Logan sighed and followed her. He knew that she was trying to decide what emotion to go with, as she was never the kind of person that never came right out with what she wanted to say or how she felt until after a few moments of thinking about it. She was always mysterious that way and it was something that Logan liked about her, in contrast to Riley who always seemed to say things without thinking or to Patrick who didn't think at all, Noah who hardly said anything, and Sydney, who had a tendency to talk too much. But now that she was being so quite, it was really starting to scare him.

"Rhu-"

"How can you _not _be mad?" Rhuben demanded finally, turning to him, her eyes flashing.

"What?" Logan asked, taken aback at her sudden outburst.

"How can you _not _be mad about what happened?" She continued, waving her hands above her head before placing her hands on her hips. "You can't possibly tell me that you've never been mad about any of this! What? Are you trying to make me feel guilty? Are you purposefully trying to make me feel worse than I already am? Cause if you are, it's actually working."

"Rhu, you're getting into warp-speed there," Logan said, waving his hand, trying to get her to calm down so he could understand her mushed words. "I only got about half of what you just…speed-talked at me."

Hearing that made Rhuben more angry than ever, and it just caused her frustration to rise as well. "What are you doing here?" she spat. "What makes you think that I actually wanted you here?"

"The fact that you had just told me that you felt guilty," Logan replied slowly, his brown eyes showing so much concern that it was starting to cause Rhuben's jaw to unclench. She let out a sigh and wearily ran a hand through her hair. "And," he took a step closer towards her. "The fact that when we were in the hospital yelling at each other, and I was upset at you," he held up a finger. "Upset, not mad." He re-iterated. "And you were crying, which you normally don't do unless you're under a massive amount of stress or you're actually upset." Rhuben gave him an odd look and Logan gave a soft smile. "Your brother really cares about you."

Rhuben gave what was between a smirk and a smile. "Sometimes I have to stop talking to Noah about my personal life."

"Either that or make sure that Patrick and Sydney aren't around any corners listening to you." Logan added. "Just for future reference."

"I'm going to bear their heads in." Rhuben threatened shortly.

"Rhu." Logan reached out and touched Rhuben's shoulder. "We have to talk," he said.

"Uh," Rhuben pushed Logan's hand off of her shoulder and took a step back, looking at him through narrowed eyes. "Didn't we already break up?" She tilted her head and looked down at her bare feet, running them over the other. "I mean, I figured we did, since, you know, I didn't think that you would wait for two months but-"

"Wait a minute!" Logan's brown eyes suddenly widened with panic. "We broke up? When did that happen?"

"Wha-?" Rhuben lifted her head enough to look through her fringe. "Then what did you mean by 'we need to talk'?"

"About us," Logan placed a hand on his chest. "Not like, breaking up, but I mean," he licked his lips. "I don't care about why you guys lied and kept secrets from us but-"He stopped when Rhuben's eyes narrowed again. "What? What did I say now?"

"It's not what you said more than how you said it," Rhuben replied slowly. "So why is it that our lying and trying to keep you safe if wrong?" She slapped her hands against her thighs and started to pace back and forth. "How is it that everything that we always do to try and make things better is always wrong, when your constant prodding and pushing to get us to talk and breaking into our private lives is right? Do we _ever_ do anything right?"

"Bella," Logan grabbed onto Rhuben's shoulders and held her still. "You're right." He conceded. "You were always right, to be honest, we were the ones that were doing the wrong things this time. Instead of trusting you guys to do what you had to, we basically pushed _you _away, instead of the other way around. I don't know how many times I have to apologize until you forgive me."

Rhuben crossed her arms over her chest as she looked away. "Once would be fine."

"I am," Logan leaned forward and pressed his forehead against hers. "Really, I'm sorry for everything, I'm sorry for not trusting you, I'm sorry for making you feel pressured into telling me what was going on when you weren't ready for it. I'm sorry for everything. I just hope…if you still want to be in a relationship me that is, that we can tell each other everything like we could do when we were friends. No more secrets."

"Logan, we _are_ friends," Rhuben tilted her head back and looked at him in concern. "We're always going to be friends. Best friends. Honestly, I value your friendship before our relationship, that way if we do break up," she flushed a little. "Which I _don't_ want, I can still come to you when I need help."

"Yeah," Logan smiled warmly. "You always can come talk to me, because I'm always going to be here for you. I promised that to you and Riles before we made the promise between our two bands and I'm always going to keep that promise."

He kissed her forehead before kissing her on the mouth one, two, three, four times. He closed his eyes and wrapped his arms around her shoulders, bringing her into his chest as he gave her a hug. He reveled in the feeling of her pulled against her and the feeling of her arms around his waist, hugging him back just as tightly.

* * *

><p>Kendall and Riley were walking through the park. They hadn't said anything to each other since the free hugs campaign had ended and it wasn't really surprising to either of them. Kendall was never really one to start serious conversations with someone (he would usually just start by spying on someone with a tree hat) and Riley typically waited for the other person to let them get their frustration out first, that way she would have time to calm herself down if she ever needed to defend herself against something. In contrast to her abrasive nature, she never really liked confrontation.<p>

"You ok?" Kendall asked in a serious tone, gaining her attention.

"'Course I am Kendall, why do you always ask that?" Riley asked with an impatient sigh, looking around for a place to sit as she swung her sketch pad in her right hand. Kendall easily matched her pace, an expression of both friendly worry as well as something deeper stuck on his face

"I don't know Riles, maybe because I care about you? Or maybe because you're getting a hump from slouching over to write so much music…" For this Kendall managed to earn a light slap to the back of his head, his emerald eyes sparkling mischievously the whole time. "But probably because I can't help feeling like something is up."

"What do you mean?" Riley's voice had more than a trace of confusion and irritation to it, and Kendall knew that she was probably worrying about _him_ now.

"I mean the way in which we haven't seen each other since we fought." Kendall shook his head as he felt his thoughts cloud over, as if to mask the truth he was trying to bring to the surface. "I mean the way…"

"Alright," Riley abruptly stopped walking in front of a park bench and sat down. "You want to talk about this, so let's talk about it." She waited until Kendall was sitting down to speak. "I'll apologize and admit that I was wrong for lying to you guys about what we had gone through in our past, but I'm _not_ going to apologize for doing what I thought was right to keep you guys safe." She set her sketch pad aside. "You can go on and on about how we could have told you guys or Mama Knight, Kelly, or even Gustavo about what was going on. But that wasn't an option before, not when it had your guys' lives in danger as soon as one word came out of our mouths."

"I didn't think you would apologize." Kendall replied honestly. "But I'm not going to apologize either, at least not for getting upset over the fact that Katie got hurt." Riley shrugged. "But the way that I and the guys have treated you at the hospital and how we ignored you in the past couple of months I'm apologizing for."

Riley gave him an odd look that let him know that she thought he was completely crazy. "Ronan _did_ tell you that we weren't allowed to talk to you guys, right? I mean, he's not a very good liar, we could tell that when he was going on a 'business trip' he wasn't going where he said he was."

"Yes," Kendall nodded. "He did tell us that. But it doesn't justify the fact that we could have kept our promise and helped you guys instead of just trying to force you tell us your secret." He crossed his legs and crossed his arms over his chest. "We could have tried to be more understanding, but it was frustrating."

"Yeah, well, it wasn't a bed of roses for us either." Riley agreed.

"I mean, all we wanted was an explanation and-"

"I haven't given you an explanation!"

"That's right, you haven't." Kendall agreed, his expression said that he was now waiting for one. Riley sighed in frustration. "So just tell me the truth."

"I _have_ told you the truth. I've told you _nothing_ but the truth!" Riley said, throwing her hands into the air before slapping a hand over her face. "Great, now I'm confusing myself." When she pulled her hand away, her dark blue eyes bored into Kendall's. "I don't need to give you an explanation for anything because I've already told you the truth. About everything. I have no more secrets, the abuse, and the gang. That's it." She paused and then spoke quickly, her eyes narrowing. "At least that I can think of off the top of my head. There might be something else, but I can't remember it because I'm stressed!" She snapped the last word towards Kendall, but he ignored it.

"Ok," Kendall nodded, accepting the answer. "Ok," he repeated and wiped his mouth. "But if we're going to be friends, I don't want you to lie anymore. If you're having any problems, I want you to know that you can come to me for help."

"I know that," Riley quickly reached out and touched his before pulling her hand back into her lap, pulling some of her hair behind her ears. "Trust me, I know. But…I can't make promises about the lying." She said truthfully. "I'll only do it if I have to."

Kendall shot her an incredulous look. "Sometimes I wonder how you can be my friend, since you're so…"He trailed off, trying to find the words to say.

"Here we go." She muttered.

Kendall sucked his lips into his mouth as be reached over to her, sliding his hand into her hair, gently pulling her head closer to his. He was partially surprised that she didn't flinch or immediately pull away from him. "Look, I shouldn't have yelled at you that day in the hospital."

Riley shrugged. "You were worried about Katie, its fine." She kept eye contact with him. "I would have yelled if it was my brothers or sister that was hurt."

"No, you probably would have murdered someone." Kendall denied, causing her to smile. "Like I said, I shouldn't have yelled at you when we were in the hospital, and we _definitely _shouldn't have abandoned you guys."

"You _didn't_ abandon us," Riley corrected. "And you didn't do anything wrong." She reminded him.

He kissed her. All of a sudden, without preamble. His mouth was hot, and his tongue was silky, and it was really long, intense, fireworks-and-other-massive-explosions-as-well-as-butterflies-in-your-stomach kind of kiss. When he was finally done, Riley was dizzy and couldn't move or speak or catch her breath. She just sat there, waiting for him to do it again.

"I didn't do anything," he whispered, breathing hard. "Because I was just too damn tired of being pushed away and not being able to help."

"How can you kiss me like that…?" Riley paused for a second, her eyes narrowing in suspicion. "Right after saying that?" She slapped her hands into her lap and turned her head away, scratching her forehead to hide her red cheeks. She usually did that whenever she blushed, talked about her abuse, or was embarrassed in general. "Now you're making me feel guilty."

"Ok, when you put it that way, I suddenly feel pushed away again."

"Forget I mentioned it."

"No, listen to me," Kendall put his hands on her either side of her face to make sure she was looking at him again. He brushed his fingertips over her cheeks, feather light, sending shivers down her spine. "We have to talk some more."

"I don't feel like talking," She said pointedly.

"Neither do I," he agreed with a shrug. "But we have to."

"_You're_ the one who-"

"I know." His puff of laughter brushed across her face as Riley rolled her eyes and pulled away from his grasp. She got to her feet and grabbed her sketch pad. He stood up after her; stretching his arms over his head. "I was just making a point. It backfired on me though."

"The fact that you never sulk is one of my favorite things about you, Hockey-Head." Riley suddenly said with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"Well, thank you." Kendall gave a short bow. "I try."

Riley reached out and lightly shoved him. "So wasn't it you that said earlier that you don't date girls who lie?"

Kendall immediately countered with the same mock-condescending tone that she was using. "And I thought _you _didn't date guys in the music industry."

"Oh," Riley's face became apathetic. "You're not in the music industry yet," she raised her eyebrows at Kendall's confused look. "Have you won an award yet?" He shook his head. "Have you gotten a certification for your CD yet?" Again he shook his head and Riley smirked once more. "Then you're not in the music industry, so I can date you. But," she held up a finger. "We'll need to talk when one of those two things happen."

Kendall rolled his eyes, knowing that she was joking but getting slightly annoyed anyway. He wasn't sure how, but even though she was a very good friend of his, and he could tolerate her most of the time, the fact that she was so vague, always had a nickname for him, and always seemed to come out on top in their conversations and arguments annoyed him. But in a good way. "Hey, it's fine, and it's like you said, I don't date girls who lie."

"Mmm," Riley raised her fingers to her chin. "Like I said, I don't lie unless I need to, I typically withhold the truth. There's a difference."

Kendall's shoulders slumped and it was his turn to let out a sigh of impatience. "Of course there is."

"So," Riley tucked her hair behind her ears. "What stories have I been missing about you guys back in LaLa Land?"

Kendall smiled.

**THE END**

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Ok, it's not really the end-end yet, there's still an epilogue. Alright, so the ways that the Lella and Kiley relationships were based off of real life: Lella – A friend of mine kept a really big secret from her boyfriend (not saying what it is) and they fought about it for a while and broke up for a bit. When they talked about it (before they got back together) she was mad because he forgave her that fast and never really got mad about the whole thing, while he couldn't understand why she wanted him to get mad. And Kiley – that was based off of me having a crush on my best friend, the conversations that we had were generally the same (minus the whole gang thing), but I never kissed him, and we didn't get together because the timing was awful.**

**Anyways, I HOPE that you guys liked this chapter, because I got the idea after watching the 'Free Hugs Campaign' vid on YouTube over and over, so I thought that it would be a good way for them to become friends again; BTR showing up to help with a campaign that the Jacksons/DarkElements love to help with to signify that they finally forgave them. It may have seemed kind of lacking, as they didn't say much, but I wanted it to symbolize that it won't take much to become friends again. Also, I thought it would be a very cute way to "end" the story with Lella and Kiley getting together. **

**(You'll see a lot more of the adults in the epilogue, since only Ronan was here). Sooo, there's an epilogue, that'll be up tomorrow.**

**Thanks to **MysticMelody101, shotinthedark, LogieLuvr914, Lella-Kiley-Luvr, BigTimeRush-DarkElements-Fan, Rage-Against-Time, DarkElement-Jackson-Fan, Got2LiveItBigTime, Jenna, Rayna, and youspinmelikearecord** for reviewing.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


	20. Epilogue: Nothing Even Matters

**.:Epilogue:.**

**Nothing Even Matters**

* * *

><p>"How do you think they're going to do with not seeing their friends until Christmas?" Mrs. Knight asked Ronan as the two of them, Kelly, and Gustavo watched as the DarkElements talked to a newspaper interviewer about everything that had been going on for the past couple of months. Big Time Rush and Katie were sitting off to the side, watching as the interview went on, and were even asked a couple of questions themselves.<p>

Ronan gave a gentle smile.

At first, he didn't like the idea of them doing a newspaper interview to get the word out about everything that had gone on, from their abuse to their involvement with the gang, but at the same time, he was proud. When he asked if it was something that they really wanted to do, instead of going on TV first, Noah said what was on all of their minds. They weren't celebrities, at least they didn't see themselves that way, and they were normal people that just made bad decision or had bad things happen to them. So they were going to first talk to the newspapers about it, so the word could get out to the parents in the area about what their kids could have possibly been getting into, and then they would go do TV interviews. Already, they had a lot of songs written that went to or were in response to their experiences and they were currently recording one of them.

Ronan blinked, thinking about Mrs. Knight's question, and then turned his attention to her. "It's not going to be that long," he reminded her. "Only about a month, maybe less than that and they were already starting to adjust very well before I came and got the guys."

"Yeah, but that was when the psychiatrist wanted them to forget about them." Kelly reminded him.

"Only for the time being, and although to you guys it may have seemed odd, I can see how it's been effective." Ronan quickly became defensive. He relaxed a second later. "Plus, it cleared up a lot of things and I think that their friendship is going to be better than ever now."

"And as long as they're all happy, they can continue to help my band make great music." Gustavo added with a happy smile.

"Of course that's all you care about." Ronan replied. "That and annoying Griffin."

"You have to admit that Griffin is creepy." Gustavo replied.

"Yeah, he can be kind of odd." Ronan replied thoughtfully.

"Alert the media, Kacy," Kelly nudged Mrs. Knight on the arm before pointing back and forth between Ronan and Gustavo."They actually agreed on something, and there were no snarky remarks in there too." She pursed her lips. "It must be the sign of the apocalypse."

Ronan and Gustavo exchanged smirks but didn't say anything in response. It was just the way their friendship went, Ronan would openly admit that Gustavo was his friend, while Gustavo would shut him down. They didn't talk about their feelings, and they agreed that Griffin was a nutcase, but they also managed to bring each other's egos down a peg whenever they felt that the other was getting out of line. It was an even friendship and they enjoyed it.

"So what do you guys want to do while they're wrapping this interview up?" Ronan asked as he looked at his watch. "I mean, you're not going back until tomorrow, so I figured we could do something to celebrate your guys' leaving?" He shrugged and gave a sheepish smile. "Not that we want you to leave or anything." He added at the odd looks on Kelly's and Mrs. Knight's faces.

"Oh, of course not." Kelly replied with a slow nod.

"Right," Mrs. Knight added with a teasing smile. "You don't want to get rid of us."

"I vote for barbecue!" Gustavo loudly declared, causing the other adults to stop and look at him. "What?"

"Seriously?" Ronan raised his eyebrows as he crossed his arms over his chest. "Is that all you people think we do out here in Australia? Just go to the beach, party, and have barbecues?" He paused for a moment and then stretched his nose. "I mean, honestly, I thought the same thing when I first came out here to work with my kids, but still. That's kind of stereotypical."

"Well, what else do you do besides work?" Gustavo shot back, placing his hands on his hips and giving Ronan a challenging stare.

"Sleep…eat…try not to get bugged by them running around, yelling, and breaking everything in sight." Ronan replied and turned to watch as the interviewer asked the DarkElements another question and Patrick and Sydney started to talk over to each other, putting their hands into each other's faces as they tried to talk. He smiled at the exchange before turning back to his friends. "But of course I wouldn't trade that for anything in the world."

"Oh would you look at that?" Kelly turned to Mrs. Knight and Gustavo, giving them a funny look. "He's actually starting to sound like a dad.

"Haha, not funny." Ronan pushed his hair out of his face with both of his hands. "You guys are a riot, you know that? Anyway," he looked at his watch. "If we're going to have a party or something, we might as well get started on it now. They can walk back home, it's not that far, besides, I'm going to need all of the car space to get the food that Carlos and Gustavo are going to eat."

"And that is why you're my friend," Gustavo reached out and slapped Ronan on the back, almost knocking him over.

"Good to know it's not because you actually, you know, care about him." Mrs. Knight smiled before turning to Ronan. "I'll help you get the food." She offered.

"And of course that means that I'll be calling around trying to get some sort of entertainment," Kelly said and then gave Gustavo a sharp look. "Because I am _not _dressing up like a Russian dancer _again_!" Gustavo held his hands up defensively as he nodded rapidly, letting her know that it wasn't going to happen. "So, see you back at the house?"

"Later," Ronan replied with a smile and a nod.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: I wanted to do something different, which is why I had the DarkElements do a newspaper interview for it, since I hadn't really done that before.**

**Whew, now I'm done with this story as well. I'm glad that you guys enjoyed it so much, it started out as a idea of stories that Rhu and I write for fun about how Riley and Rhuben behaved due to their abuse when they were back in Australia and I thought 'why not bring that story idea to BTR?' and that's where it came from. I'm sorry if there were parts that were really unrealistic, but I couldn't think of doing things another way. I thought about bringing in the Big Time Girls, Dak, and WayneWayne for the end, but then decided against it, since they weren't really big parts to the story in general.**

**This story may continue to be updated even though it's over, for extended/deleted scenes, and alternate endings, but most likely not. Anyway, in case you guys didn't catch it, I noticed that Rhu and I write all of our stories where BTR or DE are leaving to go back home or go on a tour at the end, and it happened here as well. Well, the reason we do that is because it's realistic; LA is the Jacksons' second home, but Australia is their home so they mainly live there. **

**Anyways, thanks TO ALL OF YOU for reading and I'll see you at my next story. But, I won't upload a new story until I'm done with my SLOD story, **_**Mystic Melody**_**, but I will be updating my WFLT re-write, **_**It's The Rush That You Get **_**every now and then, I'll also put up the second part to **_**Battle It Out**_**.**

**Cheers,**

**-Riles**


End file.
